Certain Demolitions
by The All Real Numbers Symbol
Summary: World War II Alternate Universe. Apollo Justice and Ema Skye were two small-town best friends who went away to college in the big city in 1941. But their lives are changed by war across the Atlantic, and the arrival of a German immigrant named Klavier Gavin. As the years pass with the World at War, the only thing that's constant is the fact that nothing will ever be the same again.
1. Shrine to Freedom

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Summary** : WWII AU. Apollo Justice and Ema Skye were two small-town best friends who went away to college in the big city. But their lives are turned upside down by war across the Atlantic, and the story of a German immigrant named Klavier Gavin.

 **Genre** : Drama/Family

 **Rating** : T

 **Disclaimer** : I don't have any claim on this game, a fact for which all the characters hence forth involved ought to be extremely grateful.

 **Other disclaimer** : Remember that story I wrote called "Turnabout Labyrinth" where I basically mucked up Edgeworth's life (and which was also an AU)? Yeah, now it's Klavier's turn. I am a massive Klema shipper, so expect that to show up in here at some point. I'm good at US history, but World History is not my strong point, which puts me at a disadvantage for this fic. I've tried to research where I can, but I give no promises of accuracy. **Tl;dr version** : Don't rely on anything you read in here if you're taking a test on WWII history.

More notes at the bottom.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Shrine to Freedom**

The college-level algebra was starting to make him go cross-eyed.

With a sigh, Apollo leaned back on his bed and closed his eyes, trying to think through the math. It had never been his favorite subject.

As he was looking the problem over again there came a knock at the door. With a feeling of muted relief that he had a reason to put the homework aside for the moment, Apollo dropped his pencil and went to open the door. Much to his surprise, he found the Dean standing there.

"Uh…is something wrong?" Apollo asked nervously, noticing there were at least four other people in the corridor behind the Dean.

"Not exactly." Dean Smith said. "You remember you were to have a roommate when you came to this college?"

"Yeah, Klavier Gavin. He never showed." Apollo replied.

"He's here. His boat was delayed. U-boat activity…" the dean trailed off, and Apollo noticed that three of the men behind him were porters, carrying bags and a trunk, and one young man, blonde haired and blue-eyed once he'd taken off his sunglasses, maybe a little older than Apollo, standing behind the rest of them.

"Oh. Okay" Apollo said, and then stepped away from the door to let the group in.

* * *

" _Land ho!"_

 _It was early morning, and Klavier was already up on deck. The ship was of fair size and his cabin was comfortably furnished, but it was hard not to feel confined after a while._

 _It was better on deck where at least the wide open ocean made you fell like there was more room, and though he wouldn't have admitted it, he was at times grateful that his brother had been able to reserve the last cabin on this ship for him, because sometimes it was nice to get away from everyone._

 _Steerage passengers overflowed the deck. It was crowded down there. The journey had taken far longer then anyone had expected, traveling through U-boat infested waters. The added time on board was frustrating for first-class passengers, and complete misery for those who traveled in steerage. The people on deck were trying to get away from the closeness, and see more now that land had been announced._

 _And through the mist, they saw the coast grow out of the darkness, and looming over all of it, a statue with a torch held towards the sky._

" _Klavier?" A small voice asked below him, and the German looked down to see Peter, a boy he had met on the journey and who was traveling in steerage, tugging at his pant leg. "What's that?" He asked, pointing at the statue._

" _That, Peter," Klavier said as he knelt down to be at eye level with the boy, "Is called the Statue of Liberty. France gave that Statue to America, and America liked it so much that they put it on display for everyone to see."_

" _Momma says when we get to America, we'll have Liberty, too." Peter informed him. "Does that mean that the statue is for us too?"_

" _Yes Peter." Klavier said as he stood back up and leaned against the boat railing. "The statue is for us, too."_

* * *

The two bags Klavier had brought were left on the other bed in the room; the one nearest the wind. The trunk was placed at the foot of the bed. Klavier carried his guitar case in himself.

Dean Smith had made a brief remark to Apollo about being friends with his new roommate, which Apollo had tuned out about ten words into. Then he left, and the two students were left alone.

After he had gone, there was a moment of silence, then Klavier spoke. "I apologize for disturbing you like this, Herr Justice."

"You didn't really disturb me." Apollo told him. "I wasn't doing so well at my homework anyway. It's nice to finally meet you."

He made no mention of Klavier's accent, and the omission was noticeable enough that the German felt the need to bring it up. "My...heritage...does not bother you?"

"Bother me?" Apollo gave him a confused look. "Why would it bother me that you're from Germany? My country's not at war." He picked up the algebra book lying on his bed and reached for his note from composition class. "But since you brought it up, you know what always has bothered me? Sauerkraut. I've never liked that stuff."

" _Was_?" Klavier grinned in spite of himself, trying to follow the train of thought. "Why do you not like it?"

"I-it just smells funny and I don't like the taste. So don't eat sauerkraut in here and everything will be fine."

"I'm sorry I did not bring you any, Herr Justice. Perhaps if you tried true Sauerkraut, you would have liked it better."

"I doubt it. And stop with the 'Herr' stuff. I'm not a 'Herr.'

* * *

 _The steady path their ship had been taking had begun to slow, and the passenger's relief upon seeing land had begun to turn to discontent. Why were they slowing down? Land was in sight!_

 _Finally the captain was forced to come up on deck and make an announcement. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we apologize for the disturbance in our trip. Due to European hostilities, the ship must consent to examination by the United States Navy before landing at Ellis Island."_

 _Whispers ran across the deck._

 _Sarah, Peter's mother, had joined Klavier and her son on deck. "What does this mean?" She asked. Her understanding of English was poor, and Klavier repeated for her, in French, the captain's announcement._

"Why do they do this?" _She asked._

"I do not know. Perhaps they are looking for contraband or spies," _He replied._

"If we are sitting in the water like this and not moving, we are a target for U-boats!" _She cried._

"If the Navy is here, we should be safe."

"I hope you are correct, _Herr_ Gavin." _She replied._

 _He hoped he was too._

* * *

 **[A/N:]** Ooh boy, lots to talk about here. So…I sort of know where this story is going, just not sure exactly how we'll get there. I wasn't actually planning to post this, but I woke up at 1 a.m. this morning thinking about this story and to be honest, I'd like to know what others think about it too.

First things first. I am not trying to offend anyone who was involved in WWII or had loved ones or friends who were affected by it. If the mention of Nazis (actual Nazis, not people other people disagree with but can't frame a coherent argument against) and frank discussion of history offends you, this is an excellent time to stop reading this story. if you feel that I have not handled something respectfully, by all means tell me, but when you do, tell me how you think I can make things better. (If I seem short-tempered about this part, my country is having issues with it's history right now and I'm not very happy about it.)

I'm going to try and talk about the historical things I use in this fic. At this point, all we get here is the plot kick-off so I don't have much to talk about. Klavier could have had sunglasses when this story begins in 1941. Sunglasses became popular (in America, anyway) towards the end of the 1920s. This was believed to be partially from movie stars wearing them in public. If you do have questions about things that come up in the story, though, be sure and ask in a review and I will see what I can find out. Like I said, don't count on this story if you're taking a history test. My research is done via Wiki Walk and Googling things.

Please review, because feedback is the best, and I'll see you next time.


	2. Friendship Over Cups of Coffee

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Friendship Over Cups of Coffee**

It was two days after Klavier's arrival that Ema appeared again.

She came bursting into Apollo's room one day as the law student was again trying to figure out his algebra homework, this time with Klavier's help.

"Herr Forehead, remember, you have to subtract the x from the other side of the problem as well if you are subtracting it from this side."

"Why is this so complicated? And would you please stop calling me that?"

It was onto this scene that Ema burst into. "Apollo? Are you going to come help me move the furniture like you promised or what?" Then she noticed Klavier. "Who are you?"

"My name is Klavier Gavin." He told her. "And whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?"

She gave a suspicious look. "Ema Skye. What are you doing here?"

Apollo rolled his eyes. "He's just living here, Ema. I met him on the street one day and invited him back."

"Really?" Ema asked, and then noticed the exasperated look Apollo had fixed on her. "Oh."

"You wound me, Fraulien. I am a student here at this school." Klavier said.

"Oh." Her tone was flat.

She did not like him, and she could not say why. It could have been because of his charming persona – she disliked charming people as a matter of opinion. It could have been that for all his polite behavior, the purple jacket made him seem very much like a rebel. He was also of means somehow, since if she wasn't mistaken most of the jewelry he wore was silver, and then there were the stones set into his rings – what kind of man wore that much jewelry?

Ema put the thought that in spite of all of that, or maybe because of it, Klavier was pretty easy on the eyes firmly out of her mind and went back to the reason she had come. "So, Apollo, can you come help me move the furniture now?"

"Oh yeah. Sorry, I forgot all about that." Apollo said as he jumped up, putting his books away and grabbing his coat.

Much to her annoyance, Klavier volunteered his help, and Apollo accepted before she had a chance to turn him down. So she showed them both to her tiny apartment and spent the next hour supervising them as they arranged the furniture to her liking.

Apollo spent more time complaining about her instructions than Klavier did. When they were done, she made coffee and served it in the kitchen.

It seemed like a good thing to do.

They sat at the kitchen table, drinking coffee in a companionable silence, when there came a knock on the door.

"It's open." Ema called.

"Are you sure you should just invite people to walk in?" Apollo asked.

"What's going to happen with the two of you sitting here?" Ema retorted.

The door opened, and an elderly woman entered the apartment. "I heard a lot of noise from up here. What's going on?"

"Oh, it's okay, Mrs. Dewey. We were just moving the furniture around, that's all." Ema told her.

"We?" She asked, squinting through her glasses at the two young men on either side of Ema.

"Yes. This is Klavier Gavin, an exchange student from Germany, and you remember Apollo, don't you? He lives with Phoenix Wright. Remember? I told you to contact Mr. Wright about how your son stole some money from you?"

"Oh yes!" the old woman's face lit up. "Mr. Wright took the train all the way up here to see me and help me find a lawyer who would help me. Such a good man! I always knew Tommy would turn out wrong; he was such a bad apple. He took after his good-for-nothing father, you know." She turned to Apollo. "Send your stepfather my regards, won't you?"

"I'll do that, Ma'am." Apollo told her.

"Have a good day, Mrs. Dewey." Ema said.

"You too dear."

* * *

The rest of the week passed quietly. Ema attended her classes at the women's college. Apollo and Klavier attended their classes.

"Your country is a bit strange, Herr Forehead. You mean men and women do not attend classes in the same building here?"

Apollo paused, uncertain as to whether or not he should explain that it wasn't even the same building that they were talking about here, but two different colleges all together. He settled for a lame response. "Not…exactly."

It was Ema who, as they walked to town later that night, set Klavier straight. "No, I attend a whole different college. The one you're attending won't take me as a student because I'm a woman." She was eating a Skybar, and she paused at this junction of the conversation to break off a piece and pop it in her mouth.

"Interesting. In some places in Europe women attend the same schools but with different classes."

Ema snorted. "Well, there may be some like that in America too. But they aren't located around here." They had come to the theater because it was re-running the movie _Rebecca_ and Ema wanted to see it again. She was sitting in between the two men, and scrutinizing Klavier. She had not noticed the earring before. She made up her mind that Klavier was a fop.

The theater was starting to fill up, slowly. Apollo looked around. "You know this movie is a re-run, right?"

"I know. But Lana took me to see it the first week after it came out for my birthday."

"Are you feeling homesick?" Apollo asked.

"Maybe just a little." Ema admitted.

Klavier had become very quiet during the conversation. Now he spoke. "You sound very close to your sister, Fraulien Ema."

"Well, she raised me after our parents died." Ema said.

Klavier nodded. "My brother…my brother raised me too."

Ema looked at him, startled by the confession, but before anyone could say anything else, the news reel that began the film started.

* * *

 _The trouble began in 1939, though, when he looked back on it, Kristoph Gavin determined that the trouble had actually begun in 1933 when Adolf Hitler was elected. But 1939 was when it came to dominate the lives of the Gavin brothers._

 _While Klavier had no recollection of their father, Kristoph did, and he knew more about the history of the Gavin family then his brother did. Kristoph never expounded on the fact that their family had been high nobility before the Great War. Instead, he simply made it plain to Klavier that he expected his little brother to live up to the ancient and honored family name._

 _In August of 1939, Klavier had begun his second year at one of the most prestigious schools in France, studying the arts and music. Kristoph, meanwhile, had been studying the newspapers back in Germany with growing exasperation. He was not a stupid man by any measure, though, so he kept his exasperation to himself._

 _And then it was September, and Klavier was on the doorstep of the ancestral Gavin home, guitar case in hand and suitcases on the step beside him. "They expelled me." He told Kristoph when the older man answered the door._

 _Kristoph said nothing. They both knew that Klavier's being home had nothing to do with his grades, and everything to do with the fact that Germany had invaded Poland which was allied to France. Instead, he picked up his little brother's suitcases. "Well don't just stand there with the door open." He demanded, and Klavier darted inside, closing the door behind him._

* * *

 **[A/N:]** I figure for this story, Klavier's going to have to have short hair because I don't think that it was popularly accepted for men to have long hair back then and I don't feel like Googling to find out. (Though if you'd rather think of him as long-haired, go ahead. I waver on this. Plus, I don't know what it was more acceptable for men in Europe during this time to have long hair. I doubt it, but I didn't Google it either.) I did have to run out and wiki walk to find out whether or not he could have theoretically had a leather jacket at the time. Answer is yes but I have no idea about color so we'll hand wave that one and say his jacket could in fact be purple. Ema's slacks would probably have been longer, but other then that you can dump the lab coat and she could probably get away with what she wears in the game. Amelia Earhart popularized slacks for women when she became famous. Apollo, actually, nothing about his clothes needs to change. Even the rolled-up sleeves would have been fine as far as I know.

 _Rebecca_ is an Alfred Hitchcock movie that came out in 1939. That's why Apollo said it was a rerun. It would have been two years old in 1941. Hitler was elected in 1933…and then he proceeded to abolish elections. I am having difficulty determining when exactly the war began based on the event listings because Hitler was annexing countries before the event that drives the flashback here, namely the invasion of Poland. Based on what I've read online and in my history books, it was the invasion of Poland that officially kicked off the war, and that happened in September 1939. For the curious, Hitler's reason for invading Poland was fraudulent claims of Polish espionage against Germany.

I'm not entirely sure what Ema's Snackoos are supposed to be or how prevalent pre- packaged snack foods would have been back in the 1940s. I've found some information that Fritos, potato chips, and Ritz crackers first came out in the 1930s. Again since I don't know what Snackoos are supposed to be, I've written them out of the story and replaced them with a Sky Bar, a candy bar that also came out in the 1930s. Necco, the makers of the candy bar, claim that the Sky Bar was the first candy bar with choices of filling rather then just being plain chocolate with either nuts or caramel added. For those who've never seen or had one, it's a chocolate bar divided into four sections, and each section has a different filling wrapped in chocolate. The fillings are fudge, caramel, vanilla, and peanut butter. I've had them before and they aren't bad. (Wikipedia actually let me in on the fact that the peanut butter section isn't really peanut butter, but a peanut flavored caramel, which explains a lot about the flavor of that particular piece of the bar.)

Alright. Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter, and if you have any questions, toss those at me too.


	3. Freedom from Fear

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Freedom From Fear**

Basic math was something he was good at, but algebra had been giving him a headache all that week and it was with some relief that Friday came around. Apollo stacked his books in his desk back in his room and sighed. He was going home for the weekend.

Trucy had demanded, begged, and pleaded that Apollo should come home after his first week at college and tell her about what it was like, and Phoenix had agreed that if Apollo wanted to come home he certainly wouldn't stop the younger man, but had warned Trucy that if Apollo had too much class work he might not come back. That had been too much for Trucy, who finally extracted a promise from her big brother that he would definitely come home that weekend.

So Apollo dropped off his books and began to pack a small traveling bag with what he would need for that weekend. He was still packing when the door opened and Klavier walked in. He paused when he saw Apollo packing. "You're not dropping out, are you?"

"Never." Apollo replied, not missing a beat. "I'm just going home for the weekend. Trucy, my little sister, wanted me to come back and tell her all about life here. He closed the travel bag and checked the clock on his desk. "I should have just enough time to get to the station and catch the 5:30 train." He stood up and picked up his bag. "See you Monday." He said, and waved.

" _Bis bald_." The German man replied, picking his guitar up off his bed and beginning to tune it.

Ema wasn't sure yet but she was already thinking that the city was nicer then the small town she and Apollo were from. For starters, there was a lot more to do here. To be sure, it wasn't as big a town as Boston, or New York, or even Annapolis. But there was plenty to do and she enjoyed the nightlife.

After dinner in the college dining room, she decided to go out to dance. It was still light when she set out, and that made her feel brave.

She didn't have anyone to dance with, but upon her arrival to the club she found that was less of a problem then she expected. There were several men there without partners who were more than willing to dance with her. Several offered to buy her a drink as well, but she declined those offers.

'Dance the night away' was not a phrase that most back home wanted to hear, but it was what Ema did.

And then she looked up and realized how late it was.

Her last dance partner was a dark-haired man who had danced three dances with her already, although Ema hadn't discovered until the third dance that his English was limited. Still, he was an excellent dance partner.

When she realized what time it was, Ema smiled at him. "Thanks for the dances." She said, then left the bar and headed for the door of the club. Outside, the traffic was diminished and the street lights were on. She started walking back towards the college, unconcerned about the path she would take to get there. She had seen the streetlights along the path on her way in and knew that they would be lit on the way back.

She heard someone speaking behind her and turned to see her dance partner there. He grabbed her arm and said something that she didn't understand.

"Um, I have to go now." Ema said, trying to pull away, but the man held tighter and repeated what he had said before. "No, I really have to go. Please let go of me. Now."

The man kept talking, which did not make Ema feel any better since she still couldn't understand a word he was saying. "I said let go!"

And then out of nowhere, Klavier Gavin appeared. _"The young lady wants you to take your hand off of her."_ He informed the man in German. The response he got was one he couldn't entirely understand.

"What?" Ema demanded, noting the look on Klavier's face.

"I'm not good at Italian." Klavier admitted, and switched to French. " _The woman would like you to release her, right now."_

The Italian let go of Ema's arm, and spoke to Klavier. _"You are with her?"_

" _Yes_."

" _Ah, sorry, I did not know. I wanted her to stay for one more dance. Sorry for …muscling in."_ He vanished back into the club.

Klavier and Ema watched him go. "What did he say?" she asked.

"That he wanted you to stay for one more dance." Klavier replied.

"Did he understand any English at all when I kept telling him to let go?" Ema demanded.

"Apparently not." Klavier said. "Come, Fraulein. I will walk you back to your apartment."

They walked in silence for a ways, and the Ema noticed the guitar the case that Klavier was carrying. "What were you doing tonight?"

"I was…making arrangements to play in a club, among other things." He said. "And you wanted to dance, I take it."

"I like to dance." She said noncommittally.

"I know how to dance, Fraulein Ema. Perhaps next time you decide to go you will come by and get me first? And then perhaps we can avoid another incident like tonight."

Ema decided to quiz him. "Can you do the Lindy Hop?"

"I can."

"You say that like you can't."

"It's not my favorite kind of dance."

"It's just fine!"

"If you insist, Fraulein." He conceded. "I prefer the West Coast Swing. And ballroom dancing."

"Ballroom dancing?" Ema stopped to gape at him. "Where did you learn that?"

"At home, in Munich." Klavier said, stopping to wait for her.

"But where in Munich? Did you take a class?"

"No. My brother Kristoph taught me at home. We had a ballroom in the house."

"Really?" Ema asked. There was a different tone to her voice now.

"If you want to learn, Ema, I will be glad to teach you." Klavier offered.

Ema hesitated. Then she nodded. "I would like that."

"Just let me know when you want to start." Klavier said.

They continued on, and when they were halfway to the college, Ema spoke again. "How many languages do you speak?"

"Does it matter?" Klavier asked.

Ema hunched her shoulders up a moment before relaxing. "You said you didn't speak Italian. How were you talking to that creep then?"

Klavier shifted his guitar case to his other hand. "I spoke to him in French. I can speak English, German, and French, and I can recognize some others. I was just hoping he knew enough French that he would understand what I was saying."

"Thanks." Ema said after a moment. Klavier gave her a confused glance, and she went on without looking at him. "For showing up when you did."

" _Keine ursache_ , Ema."

* * *

 _It's 1940, and though a war is raging around them, for the household of Gavin, consisting of nothing more than two brothers in a house that is far too large for the pair of them, little has changed. Klavier is finishing his missed year of study by studying at home. When he's not studying, he spends a lot of time playing with the musical instruments he already has and composing whatever song ideas present themselves in his mind._

 _In the middle of the night on a date on the calendar towards the end of the year, Kristoph rises and raids the library where his brother has been working on his music since his return from France. He carefully examines every song his younger brother has written so far. He's deeply relieved to realize that none of the songs relate to the war or express any Nazi ideals. He had half-expected that (being unable to name one person his brother hates, in comparison to his own extensive mental list of people he hates.) Klavier isn't really likely to blame whichever group the Party was blaming this week for any of Germany's problems before or after the war started. It's too out of character for the younger Gavin._

 _But as he examines the music and the scribbled out and scribbled over lyrics to a half-formed song, the thought that this may also not be a good thing arises in Kristoph's mind. Klavier is well known in Munich as a virtuoso with the guitar, which makes his profile higher than is safe these days. If Klavier is not seen to support the party, it could be very bad in the end._

 _And though there has been no official word yet of conscription, the thought of it is never far away from Kristoph's mind. He knows he won't be chosen; his knee injury from years ago would leave him limping on the first rainy day, and he keeps a cane around for the rainstorms that arrive to make sure he can still get around. But Klavier…Kristoph knows that they would draft his younger brother, and it's not a thought he likes. Klavier has never so much as spoken a word about wanting to volunteer, either. When Callisto Yew had asked Klavier about volunteering when she came by that morning, his nondescript answer then combined with what he was seeing now told Kristoph everything he needed to know. His brother would not willing join in the madness around them._

 _Kristoph set the music back down in the pile it came from and stood up. His knee was stiff. Rain must be moving in._

 _He thinks, not for the first time, that it might be time to put Klavier in some other country, a neutral one, until this insanity is over and Germany is back in its right mind. But not on this continent, though. If Klavier was sent to someplace like Switzerland there was a risk that he might come back, out of familial loyalty, if things got bad in Germany._

 _No, Kristoph decides as he flicks off the light in the library and makes his way up the stairs, knee aching with every step. He would need to make sure that Klavier's trip out of the country would be one that he could not easily come back from._

 _Not for the first time, he considers the feasibility of sending Klavier to America._

* * *

 **[A/N:]** Another filler chapter! I'm sorry. This story is styled as a slice-of-life type fic, so, it's okay, right? I figure that as a rock star in the games, Klavier has GOT to be able to dance. Though I guess some rock stars don't dance. Meh.

I guess I should have mentioned that some of the titles of the chapters are not just things I'm making up. Chapter 1's title I took from a speech by US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. I did make up chapter 2's title. And this chapter is named after a Normal Rockwell painting. I don't like naming chapters, so if you have a suggestion that you think is better, please let me know.

While people in Germany were apparently conscripted into the military during World War II (especially after Stalingrad, it seems), I'm having difficulty finding anything about peak conscription dates in Germany so at this point I'm going to just use what works best for the story and say it wasn't happening. I may be wrong. Like I said, I'm not having a lot of luck tracking down dates.

Translations:

 _Bis bald_ – Bye for now

 _Keine ursache_ – Do not mention it

Thanks to the Language Guide website for their help with the Gratuitous German in this chapter.

If you've read this far, please review. I know I am getting readers. But if I don't get reviews, I'm left wondering if I've offended people or something with something I've written. So please review. If you have any questions, please leave those in a review as well, and if there's an idea for something that I should touch on in this story, let me know that too.

So please review, and I'll see you next time.


	4. Ceremony of Innocence

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **[A/N:]** I am not sure what the future is going to be for this story. I was actually on my way to take it off the site when I got derailed and other things happened and instead of a deletion here's a new chapter.

People, I'm trying to write a good story here, and I'd like to know how I'm doing. Please review when you are done reading this chapter.

* * *

 **Chapter 4: The Ceremony of Innocence  
**

"Are you ready?" Klavier asked.

"I think so," Ema said breathlessly. She was as nervous as a cat.

"Just relax. You learned all the steps."

"But there's music now. It's different. And …we might bump into something." Ema said, casting a glance around the room. Her face was redder then she wanted it to be. The furniture that could be moved had been moved, and phonograph was sitting on Apollo's desk, out of the way.

"I am not going to let you waltz into anything. And if you don't hurry, we'll have to re-set the phonograph." Klavier said patiently, adding, "While I appreciate your firm grip on my hand, Fraulein, you're going to cut off circulation in a few more minutes. Relax. You know what you're doing. Just follow my lead."

Ema took a deep breath and nodded.

"Ready?" Klavier asked. When she nodded again, he began the first steps of the waltz, with Ema keeping up admirably. "One-two-three, one-two-three, one-two-three." He counted as they waltzed the circle of space that was available.

"See? You've got it. You can now comport yourself anytime there's a waltz." Klavier said.

Ema was starting to relax, and even smile. "I'm doing it! I can't believe I'm actually doing it!"

They kept dancing while the music kept playing. Ema asked, "Are there other dances like this?"

"Ballroom dances?" Klavier asked.

"Yes."

"There are. Do you want to learn those as well or do you intend to continue dancing the waltz?"

"Maybe I'll learn some more after I've had some more time to dance to this one."

Ema was making sure to keep her eyes on something else in the room while they danced. " _Was ist das?_ " He asked, and she looked at him.

"I can't understand you when you're taking in German." She huffed.

"I am curious. You were very excited to learn to dance but the whole time I have been teaching you, you refuse to look at me unless you have to. Why?"

Ema scowled at him. "None of your business."

"I think it is my business. At the very least, I think I have the right to ask since I've spent half the day teaching you to dance." But he can guess half the reason. "You do not like me."

"No. It's not that I don't like you. Actually, let me take that back. It is."

"Why?"

Ema sighed and looked away. "My Father fought in the Great War. It was what killed him. He got hit by some kind of gas, Lana said, and it didn't kill him right away, but when I was little he used to cough so much. He told me he got his cough in the war. He died when I was ten. We were fighting the Germans then."

"I am sorry, Ema."

She shrugged even though they were dancing, as it to ask what could be done. A moment later, Klavier added, "I was told that was my father's death was also because of the War."

Now Ema looked at him, suddenly curious. "Really?"

"That is what Kristoph says. I don't know. My father died when I was two, so I don't remember him."

Ema glanced at him suspiciously. "Is that true, or are you just saying it?"

"You wound me, Fraulein. It is true. You may write my brother and confirm my story with him, if you wish. I will tell you where to send the letter."

"I'm not going to go that far." Ema muttered.

"I am sorry for what happened to your father because I can tell it causes you sorrow. But we are not so different, Ema." Klavier told her.

She didn't say anything after that, but she was willing to look at him after that.

The music ended a minute later, and they came to a stop. Then both of them were surprised by the sounds of clapping from the doorway.

"I'm impressed." Apollo said from where he stood in the doorway. "What brought this about?"

"Fraulein Ema wanted to learn ballroom dancing, so I offered to teach her." Klavier said.

"Impressive." Apollo moved the phonograph out of the way so he could pull his books out of the desk.

Ema pulled away from Klavier. "How was everything at home?" She asked.

"Unchanged. I had to spend all day Saturday answering Trucy's questions about everything. Lana came over Saturday night. She was disappointed you hadn't come home too."

"Well, I'll be back soon." Ema said with a shrug.

"So how was the weekend for the two of you?" Apollo asked, turning around with his book in hand. He glanced at the out of order furniture around the room, before looking back at the pair. "Other than the dancing lesson, I mean."

"Uneventful." Ema said quickly. Klavier gave a noncommittal shrug.

"O-kay." Apollo didn't look like he believed either of them. "Well, if the lesson is done, can we get the room put back together? I have an early class first thing in the morning and I'd rather not trip over the furniture on my way out the door."

With that, the dancing lesson was over, and three of them worked to move the furniture back to where it had been.

"You're that afraid of tripping over things in the morning?" Ema asked as she replaced the phonograph in its case and the record back in its sleeve.

"Herr Forehead is not always awake when he gets out of bed in the morning," Klavier, who had spent more than one morning listening to Apollo trip over things in the room and grumble while getting ready for his Monday morning classes, answered with a grin. He was sliding his desk back to where it had been.

Apollo muttered something that sounded like "you don't have to mention that."

"What, Herr Forehead? I could not hear you."

"Never mind!" Apollo said quickly.

Ema dragged Klavier's chair back over to his desk. "I should get going. See you later."

Apollo waited until she was gone, and then turned back to Klavier. "So, wanna tell me what really happened this weekend?"

* * *

 _Munich, Germany_

 _Present Day_

"It disturbs me more then I can say, Herr Gavin, that your brother has fled the country in such a disloyal way."

Kristoph Gavin set his pen down on his desk and fiddled with his glasses. For a moment the lenses reflected the light in the room and his eyes were invisible. Then he set both hands down on his desk. "He was a conscientious objector to the war, Herr Mander. He left Germany some time ago."

Mander pressed his lips together. "I will thank you to remember, Herr Gavin, that my proper title is Lieutenant Mander."

"Of course. My apologies." Kristoph said. "I forgot that you were transferring to the Waffen-SS."

"Try not to forget going forward." Mander said bitterly. "I suppose your brother was still an objector when you and I last spoke in December."

"There things don't happen overnight." Kristoph said. "I can only assume so."

"He's been in touch with you? From Switzerland?" Mander asked, turning to walk towards the window.

"I have had letters." Kristoph said, noncommittally. Mander knew that. They had been opening Kristoph's mail since the day he had brought back the allegedly unopened letter sent to Klavier announcing that he had been conscripted into service. More, Kristoph knew that Mander knew the answer to his question. Mander knew that his men were opening Kristoh's mail.

"You have been called to serve your country, Herr Gavin, as you know." Mander said, turning away from the window.

"I received the letter, and reported for work at the supply office."

"I am changing the office you work at. I want you in war communications instead."

"I hope this job will not require me to leave Munich." Kristoph said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Of course not." Mander said, turning towards the office door. "I will assign you to the office here. I will be in touch with your new work location in a few days. Don't bother to get up, Herr Gavin. I am sure that your leg must be bothering you today, since it is damp outside right now. Your secretary can show me out."

Mander swept out of the room, and the muffled sound of talking drifted in from down the hall. Then, from further away, he heard the sound of the front door opening and closing. He leaned his head back against his chair and sighed.

"You look tired." A woman's voice said from the doorway, and he saw Callisto Yew, today known as Helga the Secretary, standing there.

"Come in here and close the door." Kristoph said. When she had done so, she took a seat in one of the chairs across from his desk.

"Those forged letters from Switzerland are a nice touch." Callisto said. "I take it Mander was not happy with you?"

"He's never happy with me." Kristoph said, waving his hand as if to wave her words away. "Never mind that. I have to fire you as my secretary."

"What a shame." Callisto said dryly. "I was starting to enjoy my job."

"You'll be hearing from me."

"I hope so." Callisto said as she stood up. "I certainly hope so."

* * *

 _Munich, Germany_

 _December 1940_

The Winter Ball was a tradition in the neighborhood. Frau Abitz threw it every year, mostly as a way to show off that the past lean years in the country had not affected her household, though all of the others on the street, though still clinging to the upper class, had taken a beating in the meantime.

Tradition dictated that the Gavin brothers would attend the black-tie event, as always. Kristoph hated the show that Abitz put on, having dedicated most his adult life to shoring up the Gavin fortune. Inflation had not helped. It frustrated him that Abitz put the Ball on, year after year. (One could mention that the last eight years of sending Klavier out of the country to be educated at boarding schools had not helped Kristoph's efforts, but the elder Gavin viewed that as a fair trade. Sending Klavier away at age 10 allowed him to simultaneously keep an eye on his brother through the reach of the schools, and get him out of the way of some of Kristoph's more questionable activities.)

Frau Abitz was there to greet every guest when they walked in the house. Kristoph didn't enjoy this part either. Abitz had the nasty habit of addressing people with titles that hadn't been used since the advent of the Wiemar Republic. This year was no exception.

"Ah, the _Pfalzengraf_ Gavins." Abitz said, descending on them, Kristoph thought, like a bird of prey. Abitz's family had been a long line of dukes, while the Gavins were descended form an equally long line of Counts Palatine. It was with some relief that Abitz didn't have very much time to spend on them, for the pair came in at the same time another family had. This family had only been line of lowly counts, which gave Abitz another group to harrass.

Klavier was pulled onto the dance floor right away. There were still young men present at the event, but the fact that many of them had gone to war made a feeling that having one present was a valuable commodity. Kristoph accepted a glass of wine form a passing waiter and watched his younger brother dance, making sure to stay well enough out of the way that no one would think to invite him to dance.

"It's been quite a while, Herr Gavin." Kristoph recognized the voice behind him as belonging to Mander. He didn't turn around as the man came to join him. "I see you are staying off the dance floor this evening. Your injury never healed, did it?"

"It healed." Kristoph replied. "I simply choose not to risk making it worse. And I can't get around without a cane when wet weather comes in."

"The ultimate weather guide," Mander said. His joke was largely mean-spirited. "Is that Klavier?" He asked, looking at the younger Gavin who was dancing with another guest. "He's grown up since I've last seen him."

 _That's because the last time I saw you was six years ago, and not nearly enough time has passed since then_ , Kristoph thought, but he didn't say anything.

"Has your brother given any consideration to joining the Party?" Mander asked.

"Now, you know that the history of the Gavin family is one of not picking political sides."

"Yes, as I recall, the last time the Gavin family picked a side in anything resembling a political debate was to take the side of the King who them their noble title. But Germany doesn't have a king anymore." Mander said.

Kristoph thought for a moment about the drop of atroquinine concealed in the ring he was wearing on the ring finger of his right hand, and wished there was a way for him to put it in Mander's glass of wine.

It was Klavier who wore what had been the family signet ring. Kristoph preferred his family ring better. It meant he was never without his favorite weapon. Of course, transmission of the weapon was a different problem.

"The only thing I want Klavier thinking about at the moment is the classes he is having to make up, now that he's been thrown out of school." Kristoph said.

"What happened?" Mander asked. There was a note of genuine curiosity in his voice.

"War." It was still going on around them, even if the revelers tonight hadn't noticed. Mannheim was getting bombed by the British and that fact was, to Kristoph's mind, more than enough reason to cancel any parties.

"Ah." Mander said. "Well, perhaps next year."

"Perhaps." Kristoph said. Abitz was returning now, gleefully quizzing Mander about his work, his membership in the party, and everything else related to the war she could think of. The newest title she enjoyed right now was her status a member of the Nazi party.

Kristoph looked at the dancers on the floor, watching them though his mind was elsewhere. He had sent Callisto Yew to Sweden last week with explicit instructions on what she was to do.

It was getting more important all the time.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** I was like, yeah, we're gonna have Kristoph not be a jerk. But nope! Even when he's doing things that theoretically are good for Klavier, like sending him away to school, Kristoph has some jerk-wad reason for doing it.

I had to look up nobility in Germany before the Weimer Republic (I am having to look up the World's Most Random Stuff for this story.) Based on my understanding, a Count Palatine (German title: Pfalzgraf. Thanks Wikipedia!) had a lot of land and power, and were also castle keepers for the king, so I figured I would go with that. It's just a small castle. I don't think I need to explain the other titles.

Because Kristoph wears nail polish in the Apollo Justice I was really amused that he tossed the ring with the family crest off to his brother and wears a poison ring instead, and not just because poisoning people is his thing. It has more to do with the fact that I tend to associate women wearing those types of rings more than men, though this is untrue. Some internet research has turned up examples of men as well as women wearing them, and not just using them to hold poison either. The rings could contain portraits, locks of hair, or holy relics as well. The reason I associate poison rings with women more is because I see them when I shop for rings online. It feels like no matter what parameters I search for a ring, there's a poison ring in the listing somewhere.

During the time of the Wiemar Republic, the German monarchy was abolished and inflation became such an issue in Germany that even my American history classes touched on it during the WWII sections. This was in part because Germany was trying to pay off their war debts to countries like France and so they printed money like crazy, which had the effect of massively devaluing it. It was a mess, all the way around.

The title for this chapter comes from William Butler Yeats' poem _The Second Coming_.

Any questions, please let me know. And please leave a review.


	5. One Sunday Morning

**Certain Demolitions**

 **Chapter 5: One Sunday Morning**

* * *

The rest of the fall semester passed quietly. Ema had wanted to go dancing a couple more times and she did follow through on having Klavier come with her when she went. Sometimes Apollo came too. But when class work picked up, her desire to go out dropped markedly.

The same proved true for Apollo, who actually spent more time going home on the weekends then Ema did ("That's because your sister is younger, Apollo. Mine's older.") Again, as the class work picked up, he spent fewer weekends traveling home, instead preferring to stay back in the dorms and study, or meet up with classmates and study.

Klavier was the only one who went out, like clockwork, every Friday night. He took his guitar with him, and returned to the dorm in the early hours of the morning. On one occasion he didn't come back until six the next morning, and then he slept until noon.

It was December 5th when Apollo finally got curious enough to ask. He had his books spread out on the rug on the floor, and was not looking forward to the massive amounts of cramming he was anticipating with exams coming up.

On his side of the room, Klavier was packing his guitar in his case. Apollo had lost track of how many consecutive weeks now Klavier had been going out.

"Where are you going?" Apollo asked.

"I have an engagement."

"Playing music?" Apollo guessed. There was no other reason for Klavier to take his guitar when he went.

" _Ja_." Klavier replied. It was the way he earned his side-income. "Would you care to accompany me?"

"I'm going to be cramming for my tests for half the night. But thanks for the offer." Apollo said.

Klavier was gone a moment later.

Early the next morning, when his shift was over, Klavier was in the back of the club packing his guitar back into its case when another musician came and stood in the doorway to the back room. "You're not half bad with that guitar."

"Oh, only 'not half bad'?" Klavier asked, turning around to face the other man.

The other musician, a tall young man with a long pompadour, grinned. "I see humility isn't a virtue that you suffer from. What's your name?"

"Klavier Gavin."

"Nice accent. Where're you from, Germany?"

" _Ja_."

"Getting out ahead of the war?"

"Something like that." Klavier said noncommittally.

"I'm Daryan Crescend." The other musician said. "And since apparently you're more involved with the vice of pride then the virtue of humility, you might be the best guitar player I've ever heard in this place. Have you ever considered being in a band?"

"I would need other members who are at least as good as me." Klavier told him.

Daryan grinned again. "Today might be your lucky day, then." He held a note card out to the other man. "I know another excellent guitar payer – that would be me – and a swell drummer too. My card." Klavier reached to and took the card form him, glancing briefly at the address listed on it. "I figure we might need one more person, someone who can handle a bass, maybe. Anyway, look me up next time you're in town, and we can see what we can come up with."

"I will do that." Klavier replied. The other man left a moment later, and Klavier resumed packing up his guitar.

* * *

Saturday passed quietly for the pair of them. Klavier slept late and when he finally woke up, he too spent the day studying.

Sunday began quietly enough. Klavier was up first and spent the morning doing his homework. Apollo was up later, but he spent the day the same way. After lunch, the pair went back to work on their individual class work.

Apollo was sitting against his bed, pages of notes from Latin class spread out around him. He was looking at one closely, reading the Latin on it under his breath when there came a frantic knocking at the door. Both of them looked up, then at each other. Klavier was still sitting at his desk, and he got up and went to the door. "You look blocked in, Herr Forehead. Allow me."

"Feel free." Apollo retorted, frowning at his writing on the sheet of paper.

Klavier opened the door to find Ema standing there. She was holding a portable radio and looked frantic. "Is Apollo here?!" She half asked, half demanded.

"He is. What brings you by?" Klavier asked, but Ema didn't wait for him to finish. Instead she pushed past him and into the room. She sighted Apollo on the floor, trying to make sense of the notes he'd taken in class.

"You have to listen, right now." She demanded.

Apollo looked up at her. "Listen to what?"

"Just listen." Ema said, plunking the radio down on Apollo's desk and dropping to the floor to find a plug to plug it into.

* * *

It was a very quiet trio that sat in the dorm room, Ema and Apollo on Apollo's bed and Klavier at his desk, after the radio report had played and Ema had turned the machine off.

Klavier was the first to break the silence. "So, there will be war now. With Japan, at the very least."

The word "war" hung in the air in a way Ema didn't want to contemplate. They had heard it on the radio, but to hear it repeated gave it a different tone. Apollo, though, remembered that Klavier had already fled one war. "What do you think it'll mean for your home?" He asked in the general direction of his German roommate.

Klavier shook his head. "I could not begin to guess."

A knock on the door, quieter and more controlled then Ema's, made the three of them look up suddenly. Klavier got up again and went to answer it.

This time it was another student from the college. "I don't know if you heard yet, but the college is temporarily closed. Everyone is going home." He saw Ema and added, "I don't know for sure but I heard the same thing about the ladies' college. You might want to check it out."

"I will," Ema said.

"Thank you for telling us." Klavier said, and closed the door.

Again, absolute silence reigned for a moment, then Apollo got up. "I'm going to get packed, and get ready to go home."

"The train station will be a nightmare." Ema said.

"Find out if you have to leave too, and then come back. We can figure out the train from there." Apollo said.

Ema nodded. "Will you pack the radio? Or should I take it?"

Apollo was pulling clothes out of his dresser. "I'll get it, if you don't mind me just tossing it into my traveling case."

Ema was already at the door. "That's fine." Then she was gone.

Apollo picked up his armful of clothes, and turned to find Klavier was sitting at his desk again, writing. "What are you doing?"

Klavier paused. "I cannot go home, Herr Forehead. I may be able to find somewhere else to room tomorrow morning, but I cannot go home."

That was a problem, Apollo had to concede. But then he shrugged. "Pack your stuff and come with us. Phoenix won't mind."

"Are you certain?"

"Positive. Trust me, Phoenix will be fine with it." Apollo said, walking past his roommate to the bathroom.

True to Ema's prediction, the station was crowded when they arrived. In spite of this, they were able to easily get tickets, as they would be getting off halfway through the trip and others who were waiting for tickets were also waiting for trains that would take them a further distance then the town Apollo and Ema called home.

Though the wait was short, the train was still crowded, and it wasn't until they were walking to their seats that Ema noticed that Klavier still had his guitar case with him. "Couldn't you have put that thing into the baggage car?"

"I would prefer not to let it out of my sight." Klavier replied. When they had taken their seats, he put it the case on floor, under his chair as best as it would fit.

It wasn't until the train began to move out of the station that Klavier spoke again. "Herr Forehead, you never explained who Phoenix is."

"Oh, hm." Apollo paused and tapped his chin. "It's a long story so I'll give you the short version. I was raised in an orphanage for a long time, and I didn't know I had a sister. We had the same mother but different fathers. So, Phoenix Wright is a defense attorney where Ema and I are from, and he ended up adopting my little sister Trucy. Well, when he adopted her, he talked to our Mom and found out about me. I didn't really want to get adopted, so I didn't. Phoenix is my legal guardian, though."

"I see."

* * *

 _Munich, Germany_

 _December 11, 1941_

 _4 Days after the Attack on Pearl Harbor_

The doorbell, which sounded like a heavy gong, slowly brought Kristoph back to awareness. He reached out and turned on the bedside lamp, then reached for his pocket watch.

He had gotten out of the office he worked at earlier that morning after working long into the night and then the next day to get the war communications back up to speed. He was still not finished when two am rolled around and he finally departed for home.

It had only been a few hours since he'd left. He could guess who was at his door, and he didn't like it. "Doesn't anyone in this country sleep anymore?" Kristoph complained to the world in general. He got out of bed, slid his robe over his pajamas, put on his glasses, and headed downstairs.

Having the doorbell fixed had seemed like a good idea at the time, but Kristoph began to regret it when it rang twice more during his walk down the stairs. He pulled the door open and found Mander and another officer who he vaguely recalled as being related to Frau Abitz standing there.

Mander was smiling. "Sorry to wake you. We know how long you were at work yesterday."

The Abitz- relative next to him gave a weak laugh. "The spirit of the Arayan worker!" He said with a grin.

 _The efficiency of a German, you idiot_. Kristoph thought in return, adjusting his glasses, and decided that he would make sure the man was on the front lines of the war tomorrow.

Today.

Regardless. The man would be at the front as soon as Kristoph made it back to his office. "Is there something you needed?" He asked.

"I was on my way in to work and thought I would stop and let you know the good news! You know that the Japanese have attacked the American military institution at Pearl Harbor." Mander announced.

"Yes." Kristoph replied.

"And in support of our Allies the Japanese, the Fuhrer has declared war on America." Mander finished triumphantly.

For once, Kristoph was stupefied. The Abitz-relative clapped him on the shoulder. "So excited you can't speak, eh?" He asked in a jolly voice. "It's a great day for the Reich."

The pause was just enough for Kristoph to regain some of his composure. "Indeed." He said. "Gentlemen I appreciate the news, but as you both know I was at the office until the early hours of this morning. I haven't gotten much sleep, and I'd like to try and get some more."

"Of course." Mander said. "We'll expect you in later than the normal time, yes? Because of your late night in service to the Reich."

"Yes." Kristoph replied.

"Heil Hitler." The two men said.

"Heil Hitler," Kristoph replied, and closed the door. He leaned against it and listened for the sound of footsteps that grew further away, then he looked around the large, empty foyer as if confused.

Then, all thoughts of sleep forgotten, Kristoph turned and headed back upstairs to get dressed. This matter warranted further investigation.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** I was really happy because for this chapter I got to consult my history books instead of trying to read a Wikipedia article. Yay! Of course I still had to Google things, but still.

I was gonna call this chapter "Day of Infamy" after the Roosevelt speech and, you know, every other book about Pearl Harbor that's ever been written (Okay, not really, but it feels that way.) I changed my mind. I expect the plot will start to pick up now. There is a six hour time difference between the East Coast of the US and Hawaii that I didn't take into account when I first wrote this chapter and which caused me to have to do some massive overhauls later. Not totally massive though; we're gonna be time skipping back and forth between Germany and America for a little bit. (Because I mistakenly thought that Hitler declared war on the US on the 7th also. Then I consulted my history book again and discovered I was wrong.) We'll catch up eventually. (Maybe by Chapter 7?)

If I hadn't already rated this story at "T" I would have gone back and raised the rating simply because Daryan Crescend showed up in this chapter. Listen, I'm not going to claim to have a pure mind here, but his stroking his hair and it drooping when he's upset is just too much. What were the designers thinking?

On a sidenote that's only vaguely related to this story because this is a WWII AU, I don't know how many of you heard about the schoolteacher in America who was allegedly fired for teaching children the Nazi salute. (Personally I think if we're going to fire schoolteachers over this then Stephen Colbert needs to lose his job too because it wasn't any funnier when he did it.) But ... there's this thing that Americans used to do and it was called the Bellamy salute. It was described by the person wrote the pledge to the American flag as the correct way to salute the flag and ... it is what eventually became synonymous with the Nazi salute. The putting one's hand over one's heart thing didn't come along until later. You can find pictures online, in America anyway, of school kids saluting the flag with Bellamy salute. During World War II, Congress did away with the Bellamy salute and now Americans put their hands over their hearts to salute the flag instead.

History is a strange thing sometimes.

Please review, and if you have any strange trivia about World War II, toss it at me when you review!


	6. The Center Cannot Hold

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: The Center Cannot Hold**

 _Munich, Germany_

 _December 11, 1941_

 _Later the Same Morning_

There was snow in the air, and though some of it was melting on impact, some of it was starting to cover the town in white. Kristoph Gavin moved quickly in spite of the cane he was using for support; long years of practice had made him adept with it when he needed it.

He bought a newspaper at the first place he could find one, and then took it back home with him. He preferred to do his research where he had at least some assurance that there were no prying eyes around.

A few minutes later he was back in his own kitchen, which echoed the sound of his footsteps as he walked through it. He dropped the newspaper on the table, hooked his cane on the table's edge and paused long enough to strip out of his scarf, coat, and gloves before dropping into a chair.

The newspaper doesn't tell him much beyond what he's already been told, but there's more information on Pearl Harbor. Kristoph wondered irritably if any of his informants could have told him, before he remembered that he'd only been at work and home for the last three days and his employees and the spies he works with know better than to show up at his house, with the exception of Callisto. Her makeup skills meant that she never arrived in the same disguise twice.

"Well, now we've lost the war." He said, closing the paper and shoving it aside. Kristoph stared at the table. Who would have thought in the spring that sending Klavier to America was going to turn out to be a bad idea? Now America was going to get involved in the War, and there was no hope of keeping up with that country.

Another knock sounded at his door. Kristoph rose swiftly and hesitated before finally picking up his cane.

When he opened the door this time, it was to a fresh-face young woman with her hair in braids. She was wearing a traditional Bavarian dress and held a basket of flowers that were cleverly made of ribbon. She smiled at him sweetly. "Would you like to buy a flower? All of our proceeds are going to the war effort."

Kristoph put a hand to his pocket and realized something. "I seem to have no money with me at the moment, Fraulein, but if you don't mind stepping in for a moment I will gladly buy a flower from you and support this noble effort."

He held the door open and she stepped inside. As soon as he'd closed the door, Callisto pulled her wig off.

"Did you think that maybe one of you should have told me what was going to happen between the Fuhrer and America?" Kristoph spat.

"My, you're two-faced." Callisto said, unconcerned. She was checking her reflection in a great mirror that hung on the wall of the foyer, making sure her makeup was not smudged. "What happened to the nice man who held the door open for me?"

"Don't play games with me." Kristoph said flatly, adjusting his glasses. "When did you find out that Hitler declared war on America?"

"Uh, the same time you did: when I opened the newspaper this morning." Callisto replied, turning to face him. "How come you didn't know sooner? You work in the communications division. Remember, you're the one who's supposed to be pretending to be a loyal Nazi for the sake of information gathering here."

Kristoph paused, realizing that as much as he hated to admit it, she was right. He reached into the pocket of his suit jacket and brought out a half-sheet of paper, folded over so no writing was visible. "Here. This is all I was able to copy this time."

Callisto tucked it under the flowers in her basket. She would visit a few more houses on the street to make her business look legitimate. Then she would leave, taking the information Kristoph had given her back through whatever mysterious channels it went through to reach the German resistance, and eventually, the British.

She set the basket down on a table, and picked up her wig. Callisto stood in front of the mirror again, making sure it looked as it had when she'd arrived. "Anything else?"

"Yes." Kristoph said. He'd been counting in his head, and had realized that Klavier had been in America less than six months now. "Contact…" He paused. "Contact Misham in Switzerland. Tell him I want to know whether or not America will draft resident aliens."

"Alright." Callisto picked up her basket and headed out the door. Kristoph opened it for her again. "Thank you for your contribution!" she called out cheerfully for the benefit if anyone who might have been within hearing distance, then headed down the street.

Kristoph closed the door firmly behind her and realized with growing frustration that it was time to go to work.

* * *

 _America, Four Days Earlier_

As it turns out, Apollo is not wrong. When they arrive back in the town that Ema and Apollo had grown up in, Ema departs for her own house, while Apollo and Klavier head to home of Phoenix Wright.

They arrive late in the evening. Apollo leaves his bags at the station when they arrive ("They'll be fine and I can come back and get them later," Apollo says.) He gave Klavier the offer to do the same. Klavier left his trunk – he knew that he would have to do so, there was no way to carry it – but took a bag of his clothes and his guitar.

When they arrived at the house, Apollo introduced him to Phoenix Wright.

"Phoenix, this is my roommate, Klavier Gavin."

"You're the algebra tutor right?" Phoenix asked.

"That would be me." Klavier told him.

Apollo gave the pair an unamused look. "Yes, well, Klavier, this is my guardian Phoenix Wright. He's an attorney."

"Nice to meet you." Phoenix said. "What brings you around?" He gave the pair a searching look.

"Klavier needs a place to stay. He can't go home, because, well, the war. So I invited him to stay here." Apollo said.

Phoenix considered it. "Well, for tonight all I can offer is the couch. We can deal with this more in morning."

On Monday morning Klavier was the first one up. The layout of the kitchen was fairly simple, and there were plenty of eggs in the refrigerator. He started to make scrambled eggs. There was a piece of ham in there as well.

Besides having a refrigerator, albeit one that looks a little banged up, Phoenix's home has an electric range and running water. None of this is unfamiliar to Klavier, as his home in Germany had been wired for electricity and set up with running water before he was born. The refrigerator at home had been an extravagance that had come later, but Kristoph believed in extravagance as long it was going to be useful and within certain boundaries of expense.

Phoenix was up next. He came in the kitchen long enough to see who was up. "Oh, thank goodness. I'm so glad you're using up the eggs. Feel free to put them in anything you make." Phoenix said.

"Herr Wright, why do you have so many eggs?"

"Phoenix is fine. You don't have to keep calling me Mr. Wright. Yes…We get a lot of eggs here. We try and use them up wherever possible." Phoenix pulled the ham out of the fridge and began to slice it.

"Do you keep chickens?" Klavier asked.

"No. One of my former clients, her name's Lotta Hart, runs a farm and works with the local newspaper. She's paying me back her legal expenses...at about fifteen cents a week. More when she sends milk, but mostly we get eggs." Phoenix adds another pan on the stove and puts in the first slice of ham to fry.

"I can pay you for letting me stay here." Klavier says without looking up from the eggs.

Phoenix shrugged. "Anything you want to contribute, you can, but I'm not worried about it." He grinned. "I've had a lot of people stay here over the years. We'll deal with it later."

Apollo appeared shortly after that and started setting the table. "Is Trucy still away?" He asked.

"Yeah, I got a call from her yesterday before you arrived. She'll be back today. She'll just have to miss school today." Phoenix said. "I expect her back this afternoon."

Phoenix departed for work after breakfast, leaving Apollo and Klavier to clean up the kitchen.

They'd barely started when a taxi pulled up out front. "Herr Forehead, is your sister home?" Klavier, who had noticed the vehicle, asked.

Apollo paused and looked out the front window. "Looks like it. She's pretty early."

Trucy comes bounding into the house a moment later. "I thought it looked like someone was home! Apollo! You're back!"

"Yeah, I'm back for awhile, after what happened."

"I heard it on Anne's radio while we were traveling home!" Trucy said. "Isn't it terrible?"

"Pretty bad." Apollo said quietly.

Then Trucy noticed that they weren't alone. Apollo caught her glancing at Klavier. "Hey Trucy, you remember I told you I had a roommate at college? This is my roommate, Klavier Gavin. Klavier, this is my little sister, Trucy."

"Pleased to meet you, Fraulein Trucy." Klavier said with a smile.

Trucy giggled and held her hand out to him, but rather then shake it as she expected, he took her hand and kissed it. She giggled again. When Klavier released her hand, she picked up her bag and darted upstairs. "I'm going to put my stuff away!" She called back to them.

As soon as Trucy was gone, Apollo glared at Klavier. "Stop charming my sister!" He growled.

"I have no idea what you are talking about Herr Forehead." Klavier said innocently. "I cannot help it if your sister finds me charming." Apollo gave him another dark look, then went back to washing the dishes.

Mike Meekins brought Apollo and Klavier's things by later that day, and when Phoenix came home that afternoon he sat down with Apollo and Klavier to discuss the next steps.

The end result of this meeting was that Apollo and Klavier ended up rearranging the furniture in Apollo's room, and on Tuesday a second bedframe was put in Apollo's room.

"Looks like we are still rooming together, Herr Forehead." Klavier said to Apollo, cheerfully.

"At least I know what to expect," Apollo grumbled, in the same familiar tone he used back at college when something Klavier did or did better than him frustrated him. The German just flashed him a dazzling grin.

The bed and frame are provided by someone who is still working to pay off their bill to Phoenix for his legal services. The Great Depression had left a lot of people in town in need of legal services and not all of them could pay. Phoenix had been the only attorney in town who had been willing to trade services.

Wednesday is quieter. Klavier takes over cooking mostly because he's the first one up in the morning. Phoenix was more than willing to cede that duty to the younger man.

Trucy has gone back to school, Phoenix goes to work. Apollo goes into town to visit an old friend. Klavier spends a lot of time on Wednesday playing his guitar and wondering what Kristoph is doing.

And then on Thursday they heard about war with Germany.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** I was reviewing this story the other day, cleaning up errors and such and I realized that my Chapter 1 author's note was a little brusque and I didn't explain myself very well. I want to apologize for that. Until recently, my country was having...issues...with some of our history. I have not appreciated it. I don't like people who run from history very much. If anyone wants to talk about that, you can PM and we'll talk about the American Civil War and why taking down statues is stupid. History can be ugly. But you can't run away from it. So I apologize if that seemed rude.

And in relation to my last author's note about school kids learning the Nazi (Bellamy?) salute, let's talk about another crazy incident that's happened in America. I heard today that a teacher asked students in a class to draw a mascot for the Nazi party. I don't even understand this one. It makes no sense. I am very curious as to why teachers in America seem to keep the endorsing the Nazis. It's interesting, in a "let's examine these people's heads" kind of way.

In case it hasn't been clear, in this story, the Nazis are the bad guys. Kristoph might be a member of the party, but as I hope you gathered from this chapter, he's a member to better aid him in being a mole. I would just like to clear that up in case something equally crazy regarding the fascination that some elementary school teachers have with the Nazis comes out between now and the next update.

On with the regular author's notes.

"No hope of keeping up with that country" - I may have made Kristoph too smart for this story at this point, I dunno. I know that the Japanese realized pretty quickly that if they had a limited opportunity after Pearl Harbor to deal with America, based on the fact that America had been untouched by the war and could provide supplies and manpower for the war. America had already been selling supplies to the Allies even though the country wasn't technically involved until after Pearl Harbor. I believe Winston Churchill had the same knowledge about the ability of America to produce needed supplies and provide manpower. Several things I've read (I'm sorry, I am not sure where I read it) said that Churchill knew that after Pearl Harbor happened America had to get involved in the war and knew that the tide would turn after America's entry. I'm not sure that anyone in Germany caught on to the fact that when America came into the war.

I'm trying to squeeze in AA character cameos where I can. Not sure how well that will work, but we'll see how that goes. The title comes from _The Second Coming_ , again.

As always, if you questions or I didn't make something clear, let me know. Please review.


	7. Family (Some Assembly Required)

**Certain Demolitions**

 **Chapter 7: Family (Some Assembly Required)**

* * *

Phoenix Wright doesn't have a normal family. It's made up of different people who matter like they were family, but no one's actually related by blood.

Legally, there's his adopted daughter Trucy and his ward, Apollo Justice. When Apollo came home from school and brought Klavier with him, Phoenix wasn't about to turn away someone with nowhere else to go. It doesn't bother Apollo to have to room with Klavier again; they'd been doing that at college for three months anyway.

So that made four.

Ema and her older sister are regular visitors to the Wright household. They don't ever knock, instead walking on in whenever they're around.

On Thursday, war is on everyone's mind. Apollo has already had to register for the draft months ago and is expecting the summons to arrive at anytime now that Germany and Japan both are now at war with America.

Phoenix cooked dinner that night, trying to focus on his cases and other things that didn't involve the fact that his ward might get shipped off to war in a foreign country. While cooking, he tried to think of some ways that he can explain to Trucy what to expect if Apollo really does get drafted.

Trucy was in the living room, trying to learn chords on Klavier's guitar. Even though she spent an hour every night practicing her magic tricks, she had taken an interest in the instrument after hearing Klavier play. She sat on the couch, with the guitar, with Klavier kneeling in front of her. She keeps misplacing her fingers when playing the chords. "Keep your finger more towards the next fret down from the one you have your finger on." Klavier advised, adjusting Trucy's hand on the neck of the guitar.

The front door opened and Lana Skye entered, followed by Ema. "Miles is on his way over." Lana announced to Phoenix. "It seems that Larry, determined to get the scoop for his new job at the newspaper, has trespassed on federal property. Now the Army intends to charge him for it."

Phoenix dropped the fork he'd been using to check the potatoes that were cooking on the stove. "What?"

"Yeah. Apparently the Army thinks he was spying." Lana said. The sound of car brakes screeching outside interrupted her. "Well that was quick." Lana said, turning to glance out the front window. An Auburn B/T Speedster was waiting at the curb, and Lana didn't notice as she looked outside that Phoenix had left the kitchen.

Phoenix had run up to his room to grab his suit jacket. He was back on the ground floor seconds later and out the door, hurrying towards the waiting car.

Trucy's guitar lesson had stopped when Lana and Ema came in, and Trucy was watching as Ema walked into the living room and dropped down into one of the chairs. "Is Uncle Larry in trouble?" Trucy asked.

"Yep." Ema replied, breaking off a piece of her Skybar and popping it in her mouth. "Big trouble, like going to prison for a long time kind of trouble."

"It's okay." Trucy said cheerfully. "I'm sure Daddy and Uncle Edgeworth can get it sorted out."

Apollo entered the room a moment later. He had seen Lana in the kitchen as he came down the stairs and had been upstairs when Phoenix had come running up. "What'd I miss?"

"Uncle Larry's in trouble." Trucy replied.

"Shocking turn of events." Apollo said dryly. Larry had been in lots of trouble over the years, and it was usually up to Phoenix and occasionally Edgeworth to bail him out of it.

Klavier got back to his feet and sat on the couch by Trucy, who handed his guitar back to him. He adjusted his finger quickly on the neck of the instrument, and played the chord that had been giving Trucy so much trouble.

"You're really good," Trucy said, admiringly.

"I've been playing for a long time." Was all he said in response.

Ema popped another piece of Skybar in her mouth. "Does your brother play any instruments?"

"He used to play violin. I don't know if he still plays." Klaveir replied.

"Have you gotten any letters from him since you came to America?" Trucy asked.

"No." Klavier said quietly.

"I just want you to know," Apollo said, deciding to change the subject. "That Edgeworth and Larry are not actually our Uncles. They're just Phoenix's friends."

"They're family." Trucy interrupted him.

"They're family the way everyone else around here is family." Apollo replied, and it was an agreement with what his sister had stated.

* * *

Lana finished cooking dinner, and after the five of them had eaten, they went back to the living room.

Trucy turned on the radio and set the station to one that played dramas, and the group settled in to listen.

When the announcer began discussing the declaration of war that Germany had issued against America, Apollo caught himself glancing at Klavier. But if he had heard, the German didn't react to the report, and finally the radio program Trucy had been waiting for began.

The half-hour show had finished before the door opened and Phoenix entered the room, followed by a slate-haired man in a tailored maroon suit and cravat and a brown haired man in a yellow zoot suit.

"Daddy! Uncle Miles! Uncle Larry!"

"Hello Trucy." The man in maroon said. The man in yellow just waved sheepishly.

"I guess you didn't get arrested then." Apollo said, his tone barbed. The man in yellow looked sheepish.

"Yeah, well, it was close, but I have Nick and Edgey to help me out of problems like this!" He exclaimed, draping an arms over each of his friend's shoulders.

Phoenix and Edgeworth both glared at him. "If you do something like this again, when the Army lets you out of prison, I'll put you back in." Edgeworth threatened.

"It's freedom of the press, man! The country has a right to know!" Larry exclaimed, pulling his hands off of his friends so that he could hold his camera aloft.

"They don't have a right to know in the middle of a war." Edgeworth responded with a glare. "Put that thing down."

Larry did so, meekly. Phoenix turned towards the kitchen. "Is there anything left from dinner?" He asked.

"In the icebox." Lana called to him as Edgeworth came into the living room and joined her on the loveseat. Phoenix returns a moment later with plate and announces to the room in general that they can, "Help yourself to the food." He took a seat on the couch with Klavier and Trucy, and then remembered something. "Klavier, that's Miles Edgeworth, and the guy with the camera is Larry Butz. This is Klavier Gavin. He's staying with us for the moment."

"Pleased to meet you." Klaveir said.

"That accent." Larry replied, looking at him closely. "Where are you from?"

"Germany." Klavier replied.

"Hey, you lived in Germany for a while." Larry said, turning to look at Edgeworth.

"Where in Germany are you from?" Edgeworth asked.

"Munich," Klavier told him.

"Isn't that where you lived?" Larry asked, turning back to Edgeworth.

"No. I lived in Berlin." Edgeworth replied before turning his attention back to Klavier and slipping into German. " _How long have you been here_?"

" _In this country? Since September of this year_." Klavier replied.

 _"Why did you come here?"_

 _"My brother sent me here to attend school."_

 _"Your brother?"_

 _"It's…"_ Klavier pauses. _"It's a long story."_

Edgeworth nodded. The conversation dropped, and the group went back to listening to radio.

* * *

In Spring of 1941 the packet that Kristoph has been waiting for arrives. He locks it safely in his desk where he knows no one can get to it, and sets about making other plans.

For several months after this, there was no news, and though Kristoph isn't sure he believes in this stroke of good luck, he isn't about to question it. When the hammer falls on them later that year, even he was surprised by the outcome. The blow came in the summer, in the form of two letters. The first was addressed to him, and informed him of his new position working in the supply division. There were other things in there, about why the position was a good fit for him because of his conscientiousness and other praise that he doesn't care about. It's not as bad as he expected.

The second letter is addressed to Klavier, and this was the one that Kristoph had been apprehensive about receiving. He doesn't show it to Klavier when it arrives. Instead, he opens it himself, having learned several ways over the years to open a letter and re-seal it without it being obvious that someone had read the mail already, and reads it.

The letter announces that Klavier has been conscripted, into an officer's position, and will have to begin training immediately. He will be deployed to the Eastern Front when he's finished training.

Kristoph knew that there had been build-up for a new front against Russia, but this is worse than he had expected.

He put the letter back in order, careful to reseal it in such a way as to make it not obvious that it had been opened, locks it in the tops drawer of his desk next to the packet he had received from Switzerland, and then leaves the room.

(-)

Klavier is in the library, as usual. His guitar is sitting on a chair, there are sheets of music and half-finished songs strewn about. Klavier himself is sitting on the chaise lounge. He's reading _The Shoulder Shrug_ , a book that the Nazi party had declared banned two years ago.

Kristoph comes into the room, dragging an oaken trunk behind him by the handle. He's only able to lift one end off the ground, but the noise the sound of that side of the trunk makes when it hits the ground makes Klavier look up from his reading.

"I have good news." Kristoph announced. "You've been accepted to attend college in America."

He tells Klavier the name of the school. His younger brother frowns, and looks at him suspiciously. "I don't recall applying to that school. In fact, I don't recall applying to any American schools. Munich University isn't that far away." It's where Kristoph had gone to earn his law degree and it was true that it was not a long ways away from where they live.

"Well you weren't accepted there, you were accepted in America. Think of the wonderful experiences you'll have over in the United States." Kristoph told him. He tapped the lid of the trunk. "Now go start packing."

He exits the library before Klavier can say anything else. He's got more work to do, more things to set in motion. Klavier watches him go.

Really, Kristoph should have known that Klavier wasn't nearly as oblivious to things going on around him as he acted.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** Some of you may have been thinking that Klavier was a doormat for the first half of the story. Not exactly, but Kristoph was the main character in the flashbacks up to this point and he wasn't keeping an especially close eye on his little brother. Now we'll start seeing some of what Klavier's been up to until the day he got sent to America.

I feel like this is "The End of Part 1" though I don't know why. Probably because of the last line in this chapter.

Uh…what else? Lana says "icebox" in this chapter but Phoenix actually has a refrigerator. An early one, but one nonetheless. I'm not sure how common the word "icebox" was because I'm familiar with it as an early or interchangeable term for a refrigerator. Of course, Lana and Ema have an actual icebox, which was the predecessor of the refrigerator and it kept food cold by having actual blocks of ice inside them. I think we might talk about that more later, because in at least one account I've read, ice delivery was affected by the war. We'll see if it comes up again or not. I make no promises.

Thank you to Guitar Jamz over on YouTube for the crash course in learning to play a guitar. I don't play the guitar, I play the ocarina. I like guitars, I like guitar music, but when it comes to playing an instrument I prefer woodwinds. _The Shoulder Shrug_ is a book that's mentioned in the _Book Thief_ by Markus Zusak.

I think that's all the notes this time. Please review and let me know what you thought of the chapter and if you have any questions.


	8. Iris to Iris

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Iris to Iris**

Rumors of wars abound in December, but other things are on the mind of the Wright family.

The college only reopens on Friday, at the end of the week that had begun with a bombing thousands of miles away, long enough to let students come back for final exams. There's been discussion of it being used as a training ground or a barracks for soldiers on their through to New York. No one knows for sure, and the rumors are a dime a dozen.

Ema, Apollo, and Klavier go back to a day full of back to back exams. The only relief is lunch break, which stretches from one to two o'clock, and the three of them end up eating a cold lunch in the old lounge on the first floor of the building.

Other students mill about the room, some eating, others pacing or studying notes for the exams that are coming up after lunch. The trio is sitting at low table near the fireplace in the room.

Wocky Kitaki, who knew Apollo from a shared class, had come to the room along with other students who were between exams. He saw his classmate and wandered over to join the trio. "Are you ready for Latin?"

Apollo sighed. "No. Why did you have to remind me?"

"It's funny that you're so good at remembering all the little nuances in law and so bad at the prerequisites." Wocky noted. He glanced at Ema. "You must be Ema. I've heard about you from Apollo. Only good things, I assure you."

Ema smiled. "I hope so."

Wocky turned to Klavier. "I don't think I've met you."

"I'm Klavier Gavin, Apollo's roommate. And algebra tutor." He added the last part with a grin. Apollo gave an exaggerated groan.

"Oh." Wocky said. His face had darkened considerably after the German began to speak. "How you do feel about the upcoming beating America's going to give your country?"

Klavier looked at the cup of rapidly cooling tea that had come from the thermos Ema had slid into the food hamper this morning. "We don't all agree with Hitler." He replied quietly.

This conversation, Apollo thought, might be more treacherous then crossing the Atlantic these days, and he sincerely hoped that Wocky will let Klavier's answer be enough and drop the subject.

He doesn't.

"I'm a little disappointed." Wocky said. "In America's ally Great Britain. Maybe if they'd been a little better at killing more of you damned Krauts we wouldn't have half these problems."

Ema's incoherent exclamation of anger is drowned out by Apollo's nearly-shouted question to Wocky. "What is your problem?!"

"My brother told us yesterday that he's volunteering for the Army." Wocky said angrily.

Apollo was still glaring. "So what?" He demanded.

"He's going to get sent to war!" Wocky exploded.

"So. What?" Apollo repeated slowly and carefully. "He made his choice. He volunteered. And why does that matter? My draft notice will be on its way any day now." He replied, acknowledging something he hadn't wanted to think about since the news of war had been reported in the paper. "I am going to be next. What gives you the right to be angrier than me?"

Wocky stood up and moved off abruptly. Apollo ran a hand through his hair, feeling irritated and riled in a way he's never felt before.

Klavier must have noticed, because after Wocky was gone, he said, "Don't let it bother you, Herr Forehead."

"I'm not the one who should be bothered." Apollo replied. "He had no right to say that to you."

"He's upset, because he's going to be separated from someone he cares about. That is understandable, _ja_?" Klavier asked.

"Yes," Apollo conceded, "But I think if you ran Germany, there wouldn't be a war, so I don't know why he's blaming you."

"Do you really think you're going to get drafted?" Ema asked him.

Apollo felt the weight of the words he was about to say. Some suspicion, deep in the back of his head, told him that his time was coming and he couldn't shake the feeling. He couldn't deny it anymore either.

"I'm sure they're going to call for me to come in. Whether or not I make it into the draft, or not…" He shrugged. There was no way of knowing that. "But I'm not going to worry about it. Whatever happens happens, right? It'll be fine. I'll be fine."

Ema just looks down at the food her plate, which suddenly looks less appealing to her then it had. Klavier, still holding the cup of rapidly-cooling tea, doesn't look convinced but has the decency not to call him on it.

The rest of lunch break passes quietly. At the end of the day, when the tests are over and they board the train to head back home, Apollo is more relieved than he cares to admit.

The same feeling in his bones that told him that his draft letter is coming tells him that this will be the last time he sits in a college classroom until the war is over.

* * *

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 _Munich, Germany_

 _Fall 1940_

The first sign that Klavier has that something is wrong is not when he's expelled by the very patriotic head of the school he's at and sent out of France, back to Germany. It comes one day while he's walking back to the house he shares with his brother.

This old neighborhood is full of grand houses that at least look presentable from the outside. Most are not as grand anymore as they seem; the last war and inflation having driven many families into fiscal insolvency. The Gavin house, for example, looks presentable from the front, but is largely closed up. Some of the rooms have been closed off since Kristoph was little, some he closed off later to save on having to heat rooms that were never used. The Gavin brothers live in one wing of the house, and it's still too large for them. But the house he's walking past, the one that belongs to the Rosenbaums who have lived here for as long as Klavier can remember, looks completely abandoned, and the flowers on the front porch are dead and wilting.

The flowers are the most obvious clue. Frau Rosenbaum has a lot of pride in the big pots of flowers on her front porch. In the winter, she fills the pots with evergreen boughs and branches with red berries on them. In the heat of summer, she deadheads and waters the flowers to keep them going until the first frost.

There's no reason for the flowers to be dead unless the Rosenbaums are gone. Klavier walks up the porch and knocks on the front door. He can hear the knock echoing inside. He walks to the back of the house, but none of the children are out playing. He goes to a back window and tries to peer in, but as far as he can tell, there's no one home.

"They've been gone for weeks now." A cranky voice from the porch next door calls, and Klavier turns to see Frau Dreier shaking a rug over the railing of her porch.

"Frau Dreier," He says.

"Herr Sunshine. I thought you were back in France."

"I got sent home." Klavier explains. "Politics."

"Ah." Dreier says, and mumbles threats towards the Nazis, the war, politics, and the world at large under her breath. Her husband and son both died in the Great War, souring her on politics and war forever. She frequently claims to be over one hundred years old and doesn't care what the rest of the world or even the rest of the neighborhood thinks of her.

"Don't bother looking for them," She inclines her head towards the Rosenbaum house as she lays the rug over the railing, in the sun. "They've been gone for weeks. The Nazis came."

"Why?" Klavier asks, and feels his blood run cold. What could they have done? Herr Rosenbaum is a banker, and there are several small children. Where would the Nazis have taken them?

And why?

"Who knows?" Dreier almost sounded philosophical. "In my one hundred and three years, you know how many times I've seen a government do something that made sense?" She doesn't wait for Klavier to answer and he doesn't bother to try, guessing correctly that it's a rhetorical question. "Never! Never have I seen a sensible government! Never!" Then, as though all of her ire was spent, she changed the subject. "Where is Herr Moonlight these days?"

"Kristoph is at home." Klavier replies.

"He hasn't emerged from his crypt for days. I was starting to wonder if they made him disappear too." She says, and Klavier's blood runs cold again. "Give my regards to him, Herr Sunshine." She says, turning to go back into her house.

"I will." Klavier says as she goes inside.

He's deep in thought as he turns and walks back to the street.

Another neighbor is hurrying up the street as he walks down it. It's Heidi von Metz. Her red hair makes her easy to identify. She almost plows headlong into Klavier. "I'm sorry. I didn't see you." She says breathlessly.

"It's fine." Klavier tells her. "Is everything alright?"

"Oh, well," She shrugs. "The twins are both sick again so Mama wants me to get the doctor." The twin girls are the youngest female children of the von Metz family. Heidi is the oldest. Her other five siblings are brothers, some older then her, some younger.

Heidi's never left the country; never been out of the town as far as Klavier knows (though he may be mistaken, given how much time he spends in other countries.) But he suspects that she will be able to answer his next question. "Do you know when the Rosenbaums were taken away?"

She blinks. "Are you…are you serious?" Her voice is low.

"Yes." Klavier says flatly.

She looks at him for a long moment, as though trying to gauge his honesty.

"They were friends of my family." Klavier says, his voice just as low. "Please tell me what happened to them. Frau Dreier says that the Nazis took them away."

"Well, if that's what happened, there's nothing to be done for it." Heidi said. She turned to walk past him, but he grabbed her elbow.

"Surely there's something that can be done." He insisted. "There must be a way to appeal this decision."

Heidi turns to face him. "Would you really do that? Go to the Gestapo and ask them to free the Rosenbaums?"

"Why not?" Klavier asks. "Someone should do something."

Heidi glances around. "Walk with me, Herr Gavin."

"Klavier." He corrects her. "My brother is Herr Gavin." But he falls in beside her as she strides up the street.

"The Rosenbaums are gone." She admits. "But the Nazis didn't take them."

And then she drops a bombshell. "Frau Dreier just says they are if anyone comes around to ask. She knows where they are. I do too."

"Where?" Klavier asks.

She looks at him. "Um, they're hiding right now in the third floor of Frau Dreier's house until they can get out of Germany."

* * *

 **[A/N:]** So...this is where I start playing with history a little bit. I haven't found anything about colleges being closed after the war starting in America, but for this particular fictional college that I'm writing, it did. Some did become training grounds for soldiers, but for the sake of the story, the college is closed. We'll just say that it was too small after the war started to stay open.

By the time this story starts, in 1941, Apollo would have already had to register for the draft. Congress passed the Burke-Wadsworth Act that established the draft in September 1940. To this day in America, young men still register for the Selective Service when they turn eighteen, even though there hasn't been a draft in years.

I did get a review asking about what Phoenix and the others who have been introduced more recently in this story would have been wearing during this time period. Fair question; since they were introduced last chapter I'll just ahead and ramble on about that for a little bit. Phoenix and Edgeworth would have both been wearing their respective suits, though later on in the war, suits would not be sold with waistcoats to save fabric. I don't think that would be a huge deal for Phoenix because when the series began, he didn't wear a waistcoat. I don't know what Edgeworth's going to do, other then take good care of the waistcoats he already has. I did a bit of online snooping to see if Trucy could have worn her high boots and preliminarily it looks like this could have been so. I think her dress would have been fine, the skirt's a bit short but she's younger so I think she could have gotten away with it. I expect she could have also gotten away with just the dress and no hosiery underneath because she's younger. Her hat she could have had made, but I suspect that in the 1930s-1940s, that cape would have had to be her own creation and there's no reason she couldn't make it, either. I expect that she actually does a lot of clothing repair around the Wright household. Don't know if we'll get into that or not.

Lana Skye, on the other hand, would have been in trouble because she's old enough that she would have needed to wear hose under her skirt, and that became a bit of a problem during the war when nylons were rationed (Yes, that did happen). Rather then take the obvious way out and just not wear stockings, women instead resorted to makeup applied to their legs to imitate nylon stockings because a woman was under-dressed if she didn't wear stockings. (Ema's slacks look like a better option all the time!) Other then that, I think if you just take those dumb metals off her blazer, she's pretty well suited to the time period too.

The title of this chapter has nothing to do with anything in particular. It's actually the name of a Building 429 album, but I like the sound of "Iris to Iris" rather then "Eye to Eye." It just sounds better to me.

Kindly review, and I'll talk to you all next chapter.


	9. In the Widening Gyre

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: In the Widening Gyre**

Ema had been hurrying home from the store with some supplies for dinner when she paused to read an advertisement in the post office window. There was an opening for a post office clerk and interested applicants were invited to come in and apply.

"Looking for a job, Fraulein?"

Ema jumped back, saw who was standing next to her, and blurted out the first thing that came to her mind. "You! What are you doing here?"

"Looking for work." He replied, and it dawned on Ema that he was wearing a button down shirt (in purple, of course) with a black waistcoat and pants. He was still wearing his black boots and silver jewelry (some things don't change, Ema decided.) Ema herself was wearing slacks and a jacket. The sky was overcast and snow was in the forecast, but there had been no sign of it yet.

"How's that going?" Ema asked.

"I have not had any success today, but there's always tomorrow."

For a moment, Ema thought that maybe she should point out to him that in this town, sounding you just departed the boat from a country that America was at war with was not going to help, but Klavier spoke again before she could say anything. "Come Fraulein. I will walk you home." He told her.

"It's a small town and I've lived here my whole life. I don't need to be walked home." Ema informed him, but he didn't go away. Ema sighed irritably and chalked it up to European sensibilities before pulling a Skybar out of her purse. It wasn't as bad as the last guy who'd refused to leave her alone, so...

"I have been meaning to ask you, Fraulein, but what are you eating?"

"This," Ema held the wrapper up so he could look. "Is a Skybar, the greatest candy ever invented."

" _Es ist Schokolade."_

"It's not just chocolate, it's chocolate with fillings." Ema said, popping a section of the bar into her mouth.

"I do not see why that is special."

"Clearly, you've never had one."

"I have not."

"If you had, you would understand." They were coming up to the end of the street now, to a small, two story white house with dark blue shutters situated on the corner where the main road and a side road intersected. "This is my house. I don't need you to follow me anymore."

Klavier stopped where the sidewalk met the walkway up to the house, but he stayed there as Ema started down the walkway. She realized that, and turned around to face him. "I can walk to the house."

"I know." He replied, not moving.

"You can leave."

"I will once you are inside." He replied.

Ema looked like she wanted to say something, but changed her mind. "Suit yourself," She said, turning away.

"I will." Klavier replied cheerfully.

"You are cheeky!" Ema spat, swinging back around to throw a piece of Skybar at him. Klavier didn't move. It hit his shoulder, and he caught it before it could hit the ground.

" _Danke_ , Fraulein" Klavier said, popping it into his mouth.

"You!" Ema exclaimed in exasperation.

Klavier was chewing carefully. "As _Schokolade_ goes, it is not bad. I suppose it would be better if one liked the filling."

"Yes it would." Ema ground out, before swinging around on heel and stomping up the walk and into her house. Once she was safely inside, she peeked back through the window on the door. Klavier was turning away from the house. As he walked off, the snow began to fall. It hit the ground and melted on impact.

"Fop," She muttered under her breath, and went to put the groceries away.

Apollo was watching eggs boil on the stove in the kitchen when the front door opened and Klavier walked in. "Looks like you had the same luck I did." Apollo said.

"You found nothing also?"

"Nope. I think they're afraid to hire me, actually. Who wants to hire someone who might get drafted?" Apollo asked.

Klavier nodded, considering for the first time there might be an obvious reason that no one wanted to hire him. Then he dismissed the idea. He could not ascribe to the people he'd spoken to the idea that they would dismiss him simply because of his accent. The German wandered into the living room and began to fiddle with the pegs on his guitar, testing the chords until he heard the sound he wanted.

Apollo looked at the clock and sighed. "I should start cooking. Trucy and Phoenix will be home soon. He turned around and glanced into the living room. "Do you know 'Get Happy'?"

"I do not think I have heard that one. Perhaps a Christmas song instead?"

"Sure. Just don't be playing anything Christmas when Trucy gets home. I don't feel like tramping through the woods tonight to find a Christmas tree and I know she's going to spring that on Phoenix soon. But soon doesn't need to be tonight."

"Very well." Klavier agreed, and began to play the opening chords of 'Joy to the World.'

* * *

 _Munich, Germany_

 _December 1940_

When Klavier and his brother arrived at Frau Abitz's for the Winter Ball, Klavier scanned the dancers on the floor, but didn't see the redhead he was looking for. Another young woman from the neighborhood approached him, but he moved past her, looking at the groups gathered on the edges of the floor.

"Klavier," Heidi's voice came from behind him, and he turned to see her sweeping down the steps, her white dress fanning out around her and her red hair twisted into a chignon. He read the look in her face for the answer he was after, and held out his hand. Heidi took it, and they swept out onto the dance floor together.

"You look lovely tonight." Klavier said mildly.

"Thank you. You look …exceptionally noble." She replied. His black and white clothes were accented in purple in the sash around his waist and the ribbon at his collar, which was accented with a heavy amethyst brooch.

"You have news." Klavier said.

"I do." Heidi said, keeping her voice low. Even with the music playing, there was still a risk of being overheard. "The Rosenbaums have left for good. They're safe."

"I'm glad to hear it." Klavier replied. His voice was equally low.

Heidi looked around, and saw something that made her pale. "Your brother is talking with that Nazi, Mander. Is your brother a member of the Party?"

Klavier twirled Heidi, taking the opportunity as he did to look at his brother. "I doubt it. Kristoph does not like that man."

"Really?" Heidi asked doubtfully.

"Trust me. Kristoph is not happy with Mander at the moment." Klavier told her. "How long have people like the Rosenbaums been disappearing?"

"I'm not sure. I don't know when I noticed it." Heidi said. "But I intend to do something about it."

"I want to help."

"Are you certain?" Heidi asked. "It's dangerous. More dangerous if that Nazi keeps coming around." She tried to glance at the refreshments area. Mander was gone, but Kristoph still stood there.

"I don't think he will. And who cares if he does? We'll just have to be more careful, that is all." Klavier said dismissively.

"Okay." Heidi replied, looking at her dance partner again. "Because tonight I need help."

"Alright then. You should have said so sooner." Klavier replied.

The song came to an end, and the dancers applauded politely. The next song started, this one more up-tempo. Together, Klavier and Heidi kept pace with the music. "We need to get out through the back hallway." Heidi said quietly.

Klavier nodded, and began moving them towards the edge of the dancers.

On the edge of the dance floor Kristoph turned, handed his wine glass to a waiter, and vanished into the crowd.

The pair made it to the edge of the group of dancers and then walked off the floor, through the few people who were gathered at the back of the dance hall. Then they were in the deserted back hallway. Heidi hiked up the skirt of her dress in her hand, and with Klavier still holding her other hand, the pair took off running towards the great glass doors at the end of the hall.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** Another slow chapter. We need those too, though! I promise when I started writing this story I didn't intend to make Ema like a candy bar that has her last name in the name. I just knew that the Skybar had been around since before the war, so that's what I went with. I have since found conflicting information about what kind of pre-packaged food stuffs were available at this time, but I'm sticking with Skybars for Ema at this point.

To anyone who's worried about my OCs here, don't be. I think I mentioned somewhere in my Author's Notes so far that I'm a Klema shipper and I'm not hooking up Klavier with an OC regardless of what happens. So don't worry about Heidi too much. The chapter title comes from Yeats' poem, again. Because there's lots of good lines in that poem that I can use for titles.

As always, any questions about stuff in the story, send 'em too me.

Please review, and I'll see you next chapter.


	10. A Mysterious Disappearance

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: A Mysterious Disappearance**

Apollo is not wrong. At breakfast the next morning, when they are all seated at the table eating an egg hash, Trucy brings up the fact that Christmas is coming and the Wright household does not yet have a tree.

"I think we need to go out tonight and get one." Trucy concludes her speech. "After all, Christmas is nearly two weeks away!"

"Nearly two weeks is a long ways away." Apollo points out before Phoenix can answer.

"It's not! It'll go by in a hurry. We need to get a tree!" Trucy shot back. She turned to Phoenix. "Daddy, can we go tonight and get a tree?"

"I'll call Lotta and see if she's going to be home tonight. If she is, I'll see about us going over tonight and getting a tree." Phoenix promised.

"Yay! Everyone has to be home tonight so we can go pick out a tree! Klavier, that means you too." She said, turning to their German guest.

"Fraulein Trucy, I would not miss the occasion." Klavier promised with a smile.

"Then it's settled."

"You just better hope that Edgeworth lets us use his car." Apollo added.

"Uncle Miles will when he hears what we're doing." Trucy told him cheerfully.

"Yeah, he will." Apollo conceded, not unkindly, and the matter was settled.

Phoenix departed for work after breakfast along with Trucy as Phoenix was walking her to school. The snow from the day before had just left a dusting on the ground.

Apollo stacked the dishes and carried them into the kitchen. He set them by the sink. "I'll do those later." He said.

"I think you just say that because you expect that if you leave them sitting, I will do them." Klavier said. He was still sitting at the table his fingers wrapped round his coffee cup.

It had happened before. Apollo threw up his hands. "I can't help that you're a neat freak."

"I am not a neat freak. If you think I am, you should meet my brother."

"He trained you well, apparently." Apollo rejoined.

Klavier paused and thought it over. "That is true. But he is still neater them I am."

"Anyway, if they are still here, if you can leave them alone for that long, I will clean up when I get back. I'm going to see if job prospects are any better today." Apollo said. He vanished upstairs and came back down with his jacket.

"That is not a bad idea." Klavier said.

"So are you coming too?"

"I will finish my coffee first."

"See you later," Apollo said, before vanishing out the door.

Klavier finished his coffee and took his cup over to the sink. He left it on the stack of dishes Apollo had left, and then went upstairs to change his clothes. He did not have any reason to believe that potential employers would be impressed with his jacket.

Ten minutes later, he returned to the first floor. He was fastening his necklace back around his neck when a back car pulled into the driveway. It was not Edgeworth's car as the make was different, and that point was driven home further when two men got out of the car and came to the door.

Klavier watched them approach through the front window. When they knocked, he went to answer. "Can I help you?"

"Klavier Gavin?" One of the men asked.

"Yes."

"We're going to need you to come with us." The other said.

KLavier was momentarily taken aback. "Why?" He demanded.

"I'm sorry Mr. Gavin. You seem to have misunderstood us. We represent the federal government of the United States of America and protect its interests in this time of war. We're not asking you to come with us. You _will_ be coming with us."

* * *

Phoenix Wright was trying to file papers with the court, but April May was talking to clerk, and the minutes since he had arrived were starting to feel like hours as he stood there with the folder clutched to his chest.

They had talked about the weather, every rumor the local paper had reported about the war, and were starting on the subject of Untrustworthy Germans. Phoenix was trying to get his pocket watch out and gauge how much longer he could wait before he had to get back to the office and meet with his next client when this topic began.

"I know." April May said to some remark he didn't catch. "I could believe they're all spies. That German who I talked to yesterday who said he was looking for work seemed shifty. You never know whose side someone like him would be on. I can't believe Phoenix Wright would let some German immigrant stay with him."

The sound of his own name had caught Phoenix' attention and now he was glaring at May. Even the clerk had the sense to look sheepish at the turn the conversation had taken. "Well Miss May I guess that even though you talked to him you don't really know him."

May had turned around at that statement. "Oh! Mr. Wright. I didn't see you back there."

 _Would you have been quiet if you'd known I was here?_ Phoenix thought unkindly. "Miss May, I find your assessment of Klavier to be unfair."

"Well, he's German!"

"And?"

"And what?"

"What do you mean?" May demanded.

"I'm just waiting to see if you make a coherent follow-up argument, that's all." Phoenix replied.

"Hm. Good day, Mr. Wright." She said, and flounced past him, out the door.

 _At least she got out of the way._ Phoenix thought exasperatedly, and went to file his papers with the clerk.

After his 11 o'clock appointment, he met with Edgeworth at the Summer Sun Café for lunch. Edgeworth was already seated and looking at the menu when Phoenix showed up.

"Appointment ran long, did it?" Edgeworth asked.

"You have no idea." Phoenix replied, picking up his menu and glancing at it quickly. He already knew what he planned to order. "Listen, are you available tonight?"

"Let me guess: Trucy wants to get a Christmas tree."

"That's right."

"Do you intend to leave before or after dinner?" Edgeworth asked.

Phoenix considered the question. "Probably after. Why don't you save some time and come over for dinner, then we can just leave when we're done?"

"Alright. 5:30?"

"Sounds fine to me."

* * *

Apollo arrived home that afternoon just as dejected as he had been the before. He had still had no luck finding work.

The dishes from breakfast were still stacked by the sink. He washed them, dried them, and put them away and then started looking through the refrigerator for the cut of lamb that Phoenix had picked up the night before.

He was cooking when Trucy came home later. "We're getting a tree tonight!" She exclaimed before running upstairs to drop her books off in her room.

"I know." Apollo sighed, secretly glad Trucy was enjoying herself even though he was not looking forward to traipsing through the woods.

"Where's Klavier?" Trucy asked when she came back downstairs.

"I don't know. I guess he's not home yet. Maybe he found work." Apollo suggested, stirring the potatoes on the stove. "Will you set the table please?"

Trucy took the plates out of the cupboard and started to work.

"I stopped by Phoenix's office on the way home. We'll need two extra plates." Apollo called from the kitchen. "Edgeworth and Ema are coming tonight."

"Okay! I'm really glad everyone's coming to get a tree tonight!" Trucy replied.

"At this point, I think we're getting more than one tree."

"We need to have cocoa too!" Trucy told him, coming back in to the kitchen. Enjoying cocoa while cutting down a Christmas tree was tradition in the Wright family. "I'll get the thermos out."

"We won't need that until later." Apollo said, but he didn't try and stop her.

Phoenix arrived him at quarter past five, with Edgeworth and Ema. Apollo had the food ready and on the table by then.

"Where's the fop?" Ema asked, looking around the house.

Apollo shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"Klavier promised he would be here tonight to go get the tree." Trucy said, frowning.

"Well, let's eat before the food gets cold, and if Klavier gets here later he can eat and then we'll all go out." Phoenix suggested.

They ate dinner, and then Ema helped Apollo and Trucy do the dishes.

But Klavier had still not come.

They sat in the living room, waiting, discussing whatever topics came to mind to pass the time. Outside, the winter night continued to darken. Finally Phoenix had to talk to Trucy. "I know you wanted Klavier to be here, but Lotta is expecting us and it's getting dark. We need to go."

"Okay," Trucy said, reluctantly.

"We'll be decorating it soon." Apollo told her. "Klavier can help with that."

Together, the group departed for Lotta Hart's farm to select Christmas trees.

When they arrived back home later that night, Klavier had still not returned.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** Apollo seems to disagree with Trucy more on basic principle then because he's actually opposed to anything she wants to do. Why is this, Apollo?

I don't have lots of notes for this chapter. More to come though! As always, if you have any questions about anything, please let me know. Please review and I'll talk to you next time.


	11. Missing Persons Case

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Missing Persons Case**

Phoenix doesn't worry much about Klavier's disappearance at first. But the next day at breakfast, when Klavier was still absent, he started to feel concern. For the German student to disappear without saying a word doesn't fit what he knows about the young man, and to be gone this long is concerning no matter who the missing person is.

"I want everyone to be home for lunch." He told Apollo and Trucy while they were eating. "We won't have anything fancy, just egg sandwiches, and any leftovers in the fridge. I'll stop and get some potato chips on the way home."

"Do you think that Klavier will be back by then?" Trucy asked. Her teachers will let her go home for this, she's come home for lunch before, or gone to Phoenix's office and had lunch with him.

"I don't know." Phoenix told Trucy. "But we're going to find out."

 **~xXx~**

When noon rolls around, though, the only thing that's changed is that Lana and Ema are there too. Klavier is still gone.

"Alright, now I'm a bit worried." Phoenix admitted. He turned to Apollo. "Any idea where Klavier might have gone?"

Apollo was leaning on the back of one of the dining room chairs, munching a hard-boiled egg. He shook his head.

"How long has he been gone?" Lana asked.

"Since at least last night." Phoenix replied.

Apollo swallowed the bite of egg he was chewing and gave a more definitive answer. "He was not here when I got home at about three o'clock yesterday."

Lana glanced at the clock, doing some calculations in her head. "So he'll have been gone for at least a day in about three more hours."

"Maybe he went back to Germany." Ema suggested.

Apollo was chewing another bite of egg, but he swallowed it in a hurry. " _Don't_ say you think he's a Nazi."

Ema chucked a piece of her Skybar at Apollo. He ducked and it went over his head. "I don't hate him that much!" she exclaimed. "But he still has family there, doesn't he? I thought he said that he did."

Apollo nodded. "A brother."

"Maybe he went back to reunite with his brother." Ema suggested.

Apollo shook his head. "I doubt it. All his stuff is still here. I looked last night."

"Well, maybe he got bad news from home and left in a hurry." Ema altered her suggestion.

"Maybe, but I don't think so." Apollo said, eating the last bite of egg.

"What makes you think that's not a good suggestion?" Lana asked.

Apollo pointed at Klavier's guitar, which was still sitting against the hearth in the living room. "Even if he left in a hurry," He asked, looking at Ema, "Do you think he would leave that?"

She looked at the instrument, and had to admit, "No."

"And even if he did get bad news from home, why not stop to pack something before he left? Both bags and his trunk are still upstairs. Klavier could have packed and taken one of the bags. Racing out of here if there was bad news isn't going to get him back across the Atlantic any faster. And like Lana said, depending on when he left, it's been almost a day. I know telegrams are expensive, but he's had enough time to get word to us of where he was somehow; if for no other reason than to let us know where to forward his stuff too." Apollo finished.

"Then something bad must have happened." Trucy said thoughtfully.

"It looks that way when you look at the facts." Phoenix admitted. "But don't worry about Klavier yet. I'll talk to Edgeworth and see if he knows anything. Being Chief Prosecutor, he may have heard something we haven't."

"You'll have to talk to him tomorrow," Lana said. She looked concerned. "I know Miles is out of the office all afternoon. He's consulting with the police chief in Pine Ridge."

"Do you know when he's coming back?" Phoenix asked.

"I have no idea." Lana replied. "I had heard that he might be back tonight but I don't know. "

"He's planning to be back in his office tomorrow?" Said Phoenix.

"Yes, that's his plan." Lana told him.

"I'll be at his office first thing in the morning then." Phoenix decided.

In the interim, Phoenix does not waste time. When lunch is finished, and Trucy has gone back to school and the Skye sisters have left, he and Apollo go up to Apollo's room. Klavier's trunk is still sitting under the window and has graduated to being used as a table now. It's closer to Klavier's side of the room then to Apollo's but some of the stuff on the far end of it does belong to the law student. The two bags sit on top of it.

"I'm sure that somehow we are probably going beyond what we should be doing, but we're going to do this anyway." Phoenix said.

"What are we doing, exactly?"

"Getting confirmation. Look for any documents that Klavier would have needed to be able to travel."

Apollo paused. "Do you think I was wrong?"

"No, I don't. But I intend to find any travel documents in case Edgeworth asks me about them in the morning."

Apollo doesn't say anything else, instead moving things off the trunk so he can get into it. Phoenix takes the two bags. Both are empty. Apollo had cleaned out half of his bureau so that Klavier had somewhere to put his stuff. The only things left in the trunk were some heavier winter clothes, and a couple of books. It took Apollo only a few minutes to look through what was left in the trunk. There were no papers to be found.

But Phoenix had found the papers, in an inside pocket on the first bag. "Never mind, they're here." He couldn't read the papers, but he recognized what they were. He put them back where he had found them. "Now I'll be ready for any questions Edgeworth has."

"What are you going to tell Trucy?"

"The truth. But I'm not going to worry until I've talked to Edgeworth."

* * *

 _December 1940_

 _Munich, Germany_

 _Frau Abitz's Winter Ball_

Klavier and Heidi moved through the garden quickly and quietly. There was enough moonlight to see where they were going.

They made it to the very end of the garden, where there was a gate.

"What is your plan?" Klavier asked.

"My mother is busily getting drunk right now. I will be able to smuggle the two we are picking up home in our car. Don't worry; our chauffer will look the other way." Heidi said. "And Mother won't notice a thing. She probably won't even remember the party tonight. We just need to get them to the car."

"So who are they?" Klavier asked.

"A Jewish brother and sister. They are passing through Munich on their way out of the country." Heidi said. She rattled the gate. "It shouldn't be locked. Frau Abitz usually doesn't lock it." She said, brushing her gloves off

"Move. My gloves will be easier to get back on then yours." Klavier said, pulling off one of his short white gloves to keep it clean. Heidi's gloves were also white, but they came up to her shoulders. He shoved at the gate, which stuck, and shoved it again. It rattled and creaked, but opened enough that someone could get through.

"Can you hear me?" Heidi called softly. "We're here to get you out of here."

Two shapes moved out of the darkness, and in the light the pair could see that it was two people, one male and one female. "Not being heard is no reason for silence." The woman said in a low tone.

"You ask me what forces me to speak?" Heidi said, and Klavier recognized what she was saying was the countersign. "A strange thing: my conscience."

The two shapes came into the light. They were brother and sister, with the same corn-yellow hair and brown eyes, and similar facial features.

"You will be riding home in the motor car with my mother and I." Heidi said. "You will both have to hide in the trunk. Don't worry about Mother. She won't notice. On the way, we will stop and drop you off at the safe house."

"Thank you, thank you," The woman said fervently.

"Don't thank me until we're at the safe house. We have to get to the car. Hurry."

The four of them moved off through the flower garden, staying quiet. The sound of a hedge breaking behind them makes the quartet pause. "Were you followed?" Klavier asked them.

"We were." The brother replied breathlessly, "But we thought we lost them before we arrived!"

There was a definite sound of voices behind them now. The Jews paled. Klavier and Heidi were looking around for a way out of the problem. "There," Klavier said, pointing out a gazebo, a building of six sides framed in glass panels all the way around.

The four of them moved to it quickly. It was unlocked. Inside, there were benches all the way around the walls, and there was a storage section built into the wall at the back of the room. It looked like a trunk. Klavier opened it. The inside was covered in layers of dust. He gauged the two Jews. "One of you, in here. The other, under the seats."

"You can't be serious." The brother said.

"I am serious." Klavier replied as the sister moved forward to step into the storage unit. Klavier closed the lid. "Under the seat, right there." Klavier said, pointing out a spot under the wall-seats closest to the storage box. The brother complied, curling up as best as he could under the seat. Klavier took off his jacket and draped it over the seat. It wasn't quite enough to conceal the man.

Heidi had been working on unbuttoning a panel of material on the back of her dress. It was buttoned just above her hips and ran down to the train of the dress. It's only purpose was ornamental; it flared out when she danced and largely blended into the dress the rest of the time. She pulled it off and handed it to Klavier. With it, he was able to cover the other man completely.

Then Klavier turned to Heidi, stripping his gloves off and tossing them behind him as he did. "They will be looking for those two. Let's give them something else to look at." He pulled off the amethyst and the purple ribbon around his neck, and tossed them in the direction of his jacket.

Heidi nodded, stripping her long gloves off and throwing them on the ground. "My dress has a lot of buttons down the back of it." She informed him.

Klavier nodded, and gave a dark grin. "Attention, baby! Let's throw some Nazis off the scent."

Lt. Mander and another Nazi had been at the party in uniform when they received word of two fugitives, undesirables trying to escape. Word was that the two who had escaped were in Frau Abitz's property.

Abitz had thrown a fit at being pulled out of the ball and was more upset at when given this news, and getting her permission to search the grounds was easy.

Now the pair was hurrying through the garden, trying to track the Jews they were hunting. The guards that had tracked the pair were waiting outside the ground of the property.

There were the shapes of two people in the glass house. Mander and his partner nodded at each other, and raced up, bursting into the building.

When they threw the door open, they found Klavier Gavin and Heidi von Metz locked in a passionate embrace. She had one hand on the back of his head and another around his shoulder, pulling him down to her. He was starting to unbutton the back of her dress. The pair broke off and looked up when the door opened.

"Lt Mander." Klavier said, crossing his arms over his chest. Heidi looked sheepish, turning away and looking at the floor and the walls while holding her dress shut behind her. "Is there something you needed?"

"We're looking for a couple of interlopers." Mander said, taking in the scene. "Have you, uh, heard anything while you were out here?"

"We haven't heard anything." Klavier told them.

"I'll bet." The other officer said with a toothy grin.

"Is there anything else you need?' Klavier asked, inclining his head. "We were…a little busy."

"I imagine." Mander said, looking at the articles of clothing strewn around the room. "No, there is nothing else." He turned back to the door. "Seig Hiel."

"Seig hiel," Klavier responded. Heidi said nothing and continued to examine the floor.

The other Nazi winked at Klavier. "The quiet ones are always the best." He advised with a laugh, and then he was gone too.

For a long moment Klavier and Heidi stood there, waiting. Then there is only silence around them. Heidi exhaled and started to button her dress back up. "That was close." She said as she picked her gloves up and pulled them back on.

Klavier picked up the purple ribbon and tied it back on, pinning the amethyst back into place, and then he picked up the extra dress panel and his coat. He slung his coat over one shoulder and held Heidi's extra dress material in his other hand. The Jew who was hiding under the seat and the clothing looked up at him. "Is it safe?" The man asked.

"As safe as it gets these days," Klavier replied. "But we are going to get you to the car now if possible." Heidi takes the other panel from him and starts buttoning it back on as Klavier slips his coat on, the brother crawls out from under the seat, and Klavier opens the storage space.

The sister comes out, trying to brush the dust off as she did, and once Heidi has returned Klavier's gloves to him, they sit there in the dark for a few more minutes until they are certain the danger is passed. Then they set out towards the car again.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** During this particular time period, as I understand, it would not have been uncommon for Trucy to come home for lunch or meet up with Phoenix at his office to eat lunch there. And potato chips had been invented by this point in history. (It's a good thing I like this story otherwise I would drive myself nuts with the research. I complain about the research a lot, but like I said, I like this story, and things like the fact that I brought home more books on World War II from the library and looked up the history of potato chips is really my own fault.)

"Achtung" is a pain to translate to English. (Google Translate gave me five different English words it can be used for. What's up with that?) And while we're at it and I'm translating words that Klavier would normally speak in German back into English, pretend that Klavier's name would make actually make sense to a native German speaker.

Alright. Please review.


	12. Another Witch Hunt

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **[A/N:]** I made a new cover image and FFN ate the edges of it, again. That's frustrating. I wasn't intending to post chapter 12 so soon but there is a crossover sidefic to this story coming to FFN later today and it contains two spoilers for Certain Demolitions. Posting this chapter now negates one of them.

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Another Witch Hunt**

True to his word, Phoenix shows up at Edgeworth's office the next day. He's waiting in the anteroom when the other man comes in.

"You're out early this morning." Edgeworth said when he saw the other man.

"I need to talk to you." Phoenix said, glancing at the secretary who's already at her desk.

Edgeworth nods. "Come into the office."

When they are inside, and the door is closed, Phoenix recounts the whole story of Klavier's disappearance, as much as he knows.

"We were wondering if you had heard anything." Phoenix finished.

"I have not heard anything in any accident reports." Edgeworth replied, but he pulled out a sheaf of papers. "But I haven't looked at the reports from yesterday in any detail. Let me look at them now." He flipped through them in a hurry, pausing to look at descriptions of the victims. "I don't see any reports on anyone that matches Klavier Gavin's description." He reaches for the intercom on his desk and buzzes his secretary. "Find Detective Gumshoe and send him in, please. Tell him to bring what we need to file a missing person's report." Edgeworth let go of the intercom button and looked back at Phoenix. "I wish I knew what to tell you."

"I wish I knew what to tell Trucy." Phoenix said, rubbing the back of his head.

Detective Dick Gumshoe burst into the office a moment later. "I've got the papers Mr. Edgeworth." He exclaimed. "Who's missing!? We haven't heard a thing about it or we'd have been on the case!"

"A friend of Apollo's who was staying with us has vanished." Phoenix admitted.

"Really? Tell me about him, pal. I'll get right on it!" Gumshoe promised.

"His name is Klavier Gavin. He's from Germany. A little taller than me, blond hair, blue eyes, tendency to slip into German when he's talking. He went missing about two days ago now and we can't figure out where he could have gone. What is it?" Phoenix asked, noticing the look on Gumshoe's face.

"You don't have to file a missing person's report, pal. I know where your guy is." Gumshoe admitted.

"Where?"

"He's in jail."

Edgeworth frowned. "That can't be correct. He is not listed as being in jail. I have the arrest list right here."

"Sorry Mr. Edgeworth. But the federal prosecutors who came in took over the East wing of the jail and the rooms in that wing and they've been doing their own thing ever since." Gumshoe said.

Edgeworth and Phoenix looked at each other. "May I use your typewriter?" Phoenix asked.

"By all means." Edgeworth replied, getting out of his seat so that Phoenix could take it and start typing. "Gumshoe, how did you hear about this?"

"Oh, I heard about it from the jail officers. They're not really happy about it." Gumshoe said. "And I heard about the prisoner the Feds have because he's the only one and the jail warden thinks it's a waste to give up a whole wing for one prisoner."

Phoenix had been typing away in a hurry and now pulled a document off the typewriter. He added another sheet and started typing again.

"Well the warden is right. It is a waste. Who's conducting the investigation?" Edgeworth demanded.

"Blaise Debeste."

Edgeworth gave him a sour look. "I hope you're joking."

"Sorry, Sir, but I'm not."

"Wonderful," Edgeworth said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

He turned around to say something to Phoenix, but the other man was signing the papers he had just typed. Then he held them out to Edgeworth. "Notarize these."

"I'll need my seal out of the drawer." Phoenix pulled open the top drawer of Edgeworth's desk and pulled out the press with the seal in it. He handed it to the other man, who signed his name and used the press to crimp a seal onto the paper. He handed back the first page and notarized the second one.

Phoenix was typing away again. "What do you need yet?" Edgeworth asked, looking at the papers he'd notarized.

"I'm going to do a discovery in case I need it." Phoenix replied. "Then I'm going to head to jail."

"Gumshoe and I will come with you." Edgeworth said. "You might need the help."

* * *

Blaise Debeste slammed his fist down on the table in the interrogation room. "I know you are associated with the members of the Bund who were protesting the president. Admit it!"

Klavier, undisturbed, inspected the handcuffs around his wrists. He looked bored. "I could, but I would hate to lie."

Debeste glared at him. "You might want to cooperate. It would make things easier for you."

"Since you are asking me to make a false confession to further your case, I sincerely doubt that." Klavier responded.

Debeste looked furious but before he could say anything else, there came a knock on the door and Simon Blackquill poked his head into the room. "Mr. Gavin's attorney is here."

"Attorney?" Debeste demanded.

Phoenix had not bothered to wait for Blackquill to let him in, and had followed the other man. Now he pushed the door all the way open and held out his Notice of Appearance for Debeste to see.

"What is this?" Debeste asked.

"A notice of appearance." Phoenix said. "I am representing Klavier Gavin. I need to speak to my client and I'm invoking attorney-client privilege to do that, so I need both of you to leave and turn off any recording equipment too."

"What?!" Debeste exclaimed.

Phoenix pointed at the door. "You heard, and saw the notice. Get out. Please."

Debeste didn't look happy, but he left the room and closed the door behind him.

Phoenix waited until he was gone, then took Debeste's seat at the table. Klavier watched him sit down but didn't speak.

"I'm glad we found you." Phoenix said. "We couldn't figure out what had happened when you just vanished."

"I did not expect to just up and vanish in America. In Germany I would have expected the government to cause me to disappear, but not here."

Phoenix frowned. "That might be the most damning condemnation I've ever heard of my country. What does Debeste want?"

"He thinks I support the Nazis and have been feeding them information."

"Did he say what the information was about?" Phoenix asked.

"No."

"I mean I guess you could send them information about everyday life at the Wright house but I don't think that's would be worth the effort." Phoenix joked.

Klavier didn't look amused. "I am not feeding information to anyone in Germany."

"I know." Phoenix was suddenly serious again. "Let's see what we can go to get you out of here."

* * *

 _Munich, Germany_

 _Late December, 1940_

"I wish you would hurry up."

Klavier had been watching the snow fall outside the window, but now he turned to face the other man. "Herr Elg, we are going as quickly as possible here. Please do not disturb Heidi while she works. If you do, I promise it will take longer for us to leave."

Heidi, for her part, was doing her best to remain undisturbed. She was carefully sewing up a slit in her white muff. She had cut the slit in it to slide in and hide the new ID cards that Elg had forged for the Jews who were hiding with Frau Dreier.

The run down building was remarkable intact for a place that hadn't been touched since the Great War. It had been the only place that Elg had agreed to meet Heidi, and Klavier had come with her. The place was dusty, there were cobwebs everywhere, and mice could be heard in the walls.

Elg adjusted his monocle. "This is a terrible idea."

"If you have a better idea we will be pleased to hear it." Klavier replied. He stepped away from the window and back into the center of the dimly lit room. Elg had brought and oil lamp with him and it was the only light except for the grey daylight that came in through the windows. It sat on a decrepit table in the middle of the room. Heidi was sitting on a stool close to it, using the light to see what she was doing. Her coat covered the stool to keep dust off her dress.

"Listen," Elg said, pointing at Klavier. "It's getting harder to get the supplies to make these fake IDs, and if you don't have good supplies, you don't get good fakes. And it costs me time to make the things, too!"

Klavier considered the statements. "So this is about money for you."

"Well…yes. I've got bills to pay."

Klavier's smile was chilly and made him look a lot like Kristoph. "Don't worry about it. I will see that you get the money for the supplies, and that you are properly recompensed for your work. Next time we meet, bring me a receipt for your supplies and time."

Elg nodded.

Heidi had looked up at the exchange but said nothing. She made the final stitch, and satisfied that no one would notice her work, bit the thread off. She pulled off the thread that was left on the needle and dropped it on the floor. The needle went back into the silver vial on a chain around her neck, and her tiny sewing scissors that were sitting next to the lamp went back into their holder, another slightly longer necklace. The tiny bobbin of white thread she slipped back into her glove as she put them on. Then she stood up and put her coat on. She put her hands into her muff.

"Ready?" Klavier asked.

"Yes." She replied.

Klavier slipped his coat on, and wrapped his scarf around his neck. "We'll be in touch, Elg. You will bill your expenses to me next time."

"Of course, Herr Gavin." Elg said. Once Heidi and Klavier were out the door, he blew out the lamp and vanished into the rear of the building.

The pair walked in silence for awhile; the sound of their footsteps and the plopping of fat wet snowflakes the only sound. Klavier broke the silence. "I don't like Herr Elg."

Heidi glanced at him. "Because he wants money?"

"Yes. Does he know what's going on here? I thought I had missed it because I was out of the country at the time."

"He might be greedy, but I don't know who else to ask about this." Heidi said. "He is good at what he does." They were turning on to their own street now. "Did you mean what you said when you told him you'd pay him?"

"Of course. I wouldn't have said it if I didn't."

Heidi nodded. In a family as large as hers, there was very little extra money these days. Only her older brothers had extra income, and since all her older brothers but one had joined the Nazi Party there was no point in asking any of them.

"You never told me how me how you got started doing this." Klavier said.

"Well, you never told me why you were so upset that the Rosenbaums were gone." Heidi retorted.

"True. Herr Rosenbaum had married his wife the year before my mother died. Frau Rosenbaum was the one who came over after my mother died. I remember that I stayed with them for two days after it happened." Klavier said, trying to think back through the timeline. "I know Kristoph was in and out of their home too. I learned later that was because Herr Rosenbaum was helping him with the funeral arrangements. They have been good friends for as long as I can remember."

Heidi nodded and looked at the snow under her high-topped shoes. "Do you remember Bert?"

"Your brother?" Klavier asked, thinking back to a young man a few years older than he was, and obsessed with airplanes; usually carrying a toy one wherever he went.

Heidi nodded. "He was, well, you met him. He was slow. But he was kind and good, and…" Her blue eyes filled with tears. "And the Nazis killed him. They put him down like a dog. I know he was never going to amount to anything, really, but he never deserved that. I hate the Nazis. This is how I will get back at them. I will do everything I can to save the people the Nazis hate. They are the animals!"

"I am sorry." Klavier told her.

"So am I." Heidi dried her eyes on her muff. "And I will do whatever I can to be dead weight for the Nazis."

"What did your brother Franz say?"

"Franz? That fanatic? He told Father it didn't matter; Bert was going to be useless forever anyway." Heidi said bitterly. "I hate Franz. He's a fool."

They walked the rest of the way to Frau Dreier's house in silence. "Do you want me to go in?" Klavier asked when they were standing in front of the woman's house."

Heidi shook her head. "No. I've got it from here. Thank you." She darted up the walkway to Dreier's house and vanished inside. Klavier waited until she was inside, then turned and finished the short walk to his own home.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** I was so mad when I went out to research this chapter the first time. I wanted to see information on treatment of Germans during the Warand some, ahem, "responders" to the questions of how Germans were treated during the War basically blew that question off in favor "NEVERMIND THAT LOOK HOW THE US TREATED THE JAPANESE."

I have LOTS of things to say about this. For the moment I will just say that I don't like thread hijackers and I have lots of thoughts about FDR's treatment of the Japanese during the war and the ongoing historical revision about it, but it's irrelevant to this story so back on point.

This idea of "Let's send Klavier to America in the middle of WWII and see how his open embracing of his heritage works out for him" was one of three incidents that drove me to start the story…back in 2013. It's been a while! And I know the translator of the games basically blew up the idea that he's actually German, but I'm running with the Gavins being German anyway.

The title of this chapter comes from the Petra song "Witch Hunt." During World War II there was some mistreatment of Germans and Italians. They could be detained, and some were. Some were deported back to Germany. Interestingly enough is that the First World War was the beginning of the clamp down on a lot of German ethnic stuff. People changed their last names to get rid of surnames that sounded Germanic. Students in some schools used to take German classes and some states in the first war made it unlawful to do that (Source: America The Last Best Hope Volume II by William Bennett.) I don't recall the exact number at the moment or where I saw the number, but some 25 million Americans are actually of German extraction (So you see the Gavin brothers could still be German!) That number may be larger because I don't know if that's a recent number or a World War I number. This was not exactly surprising news to me, since I've got some German ancestry myself and I've known that since I was small.

Debeste does not have any actual claim against Klavier, in case it wasn't obvious. Accusing Klavier of working with the German-American Bund would require that Klavier be able to time-travel. The Bund was pro-Hitler and was most active in 1939 and oddly enough, the Nazis were not big fans of the Bund either. In the traditional American way of "getting rid of people we don't like": break out the taxes! (See also: Al Capone.) A tax investigation showed that the Bund leader embezzled, the Bund declined to prosecute him, but the New York District Attorney did prosecute him, and in 1939 that was the beginning of the end of the group. Since Klavier wasn't in America until 1941, well…you do the math.

Alright, this note's long enough. Any questions let me know. Please review.


	13. Don Quixote's New Windmill

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

[ **A/N** : So remember how last chapter I alluded to a hasty update because of a sidefic? The sidefic has been posted! It's called _Certain Demolitions: Night_ , and it's a crossover between this story and Hogan's Heroes. But if you read it, be aware that there are spoilers for C.D.

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Don Quixote's New Windmill**

Trucy was looking out the window at breakfast early that morning, shortly after Phoenix had left to see Edgeworth.

"Your breakfast is getting cold." Apollo said.

Trucy looked back at her plate and took a few more bites of the food.

"What's on your mind?" Apollo asked. He had been looking at the newspaper, but hadn't found much of interest.

"I was just wondering if Klavier was going to come back." Trucy said.

"Why wouldn't he?"

Trucy's voice was distant. "Lots of people I know leave and don't come back."

Apollo paused at that announcement. "Well, we'll see what Phoenix can do." Apollo told her. "He might just be able to break that streak."

* * *

Phoenix had thought that explaining the situation to Debeste would be enough.

As it turns out, he's wrong.

"We are not releasing a German national who's accused of spying!" Debeste informs Phoenix.

"Who's making the accusations!?" Phoenix slams his hands down on the table and asks for what he thinks is the sixth time. He could be wrong. It might be the ninth. "My client has a right to face his accusers in a court of law. This is not a court of law and so far you have refused to disclose to me the date hearing that's been set when my client can face his accusers."

"This is war, Mr. Wright! Extra measures must be taken." Debeste retorted.

"You have no evidence! You can't just hold people up without reason even if this is a war!" Phoenix retorted.

Debeste dropped a new announcement on him at that point. "I intend to make a thorough search of Mr. Gavin's belongings to find the evidence I am looking for."

 _I think you might be doing this backward_ , Phoenix thinks but refrains from stating.

"So I'll need to search your house."

Phoenix raises an eyebrow. "You expect me to say yes?"

"I expect you to do your patriotic duty!" Debeste replied.

Phoenix looked stunned. Then he said, "No."

"What?!"

"You have traumatized my family and my daughter in particular enough. You are not searching my house." Phoenix informed him.

"Mr. Wright, your interference in this matter might work out very poorly for you." Debeste replied.

"Are you threatening me?" Phoenix asked.

"I'm threatening to arrest you for interfering in a federal investigation."

Phoenix sighed and moved his chair over to the other side of the table. Now Klavier was on his left. Debeste sat across from him. "Alright. My friend Miles Edgeworth should be here executing discovery. I need him in here."

"Are you serious?" Debeste asked.

Phoenix shrugged. "You know what they say about a client who has himself as a lawyer. Get Edgeworth please."

Debeste looked angry, but he called, "Blackquill!" The other man appeared in the doorway. "Find the other attorney who came here with Mr. Wright." The he realized something. "What are you holding?!"

"Some papers that fall under Discovery. I'm helping your secretary put them together." Blackquill replied.

Debeste gave him a dark look, which didn't perturb Blackquill in the least. "Find the other attorney."

Blackquill nodded and vanished.

Debeste looked at Phoenix. "You might regret this, Wright."

"You don't have any evidence that you can show me. You asked to go through my house to find evidence. I think my resistance here will hold."

Stony silence descended on the room and remained unbroken until the door opened and Edgeworth walked into the room "What now?" He asked.

"Mr. Debeste here intends to search my home. I have declined to let him do that. Now he wants to arrest me. And well, you know what they say about a lawyer who defends himself. "

Edgeworth sighed, but he came into the room and pulled another chair up at the table. Then he pulled a sheet of paper out of his satchel, and a pen, and wrote out a notice of appearance for Phoenix. "Notarize that." He said, handing both to Phoenix. Phoenix notarized it and handed it back, and Edgeworth took the paper and handed it to Debeste.

"Alright." Edgeworth said, sliding his pen back into his satchel. "What grounds do you have to search Phoenix Wright's home?"

"He may be hiding evidence that is relevant to my case." Debeste said.

"May be?" Edgeworth repeated incredulously. "Do you have any proof that this evidence is there? Or is this some fishing expedition?"

Debeste looked stumped.

"It's a fishing expedition." Phoenix said. He nodded at Klavier. "You know."

Edgeworth looked exasperated. "Not this again."

"We are at war." Debeste announced. "Certain measures must be taken!"

"Another witch hunt." Edgeworth scoffed. "The last one wasn't good enough to repeat. I would like to see your proof that Mr. Gavin is a spy. As the Chief Prosecutor for this county, I think it's important that I know what's going on, especially if there's going to be a need to depose witnesses and press further charges."

There was a long pause. "It's okay to admit you've been lied too," Edgeworth said. "It happens to us all the time."

"I have not been lied to!" Debeste snapped.

"Then why won't you show us the evidence!? We both know you want to search Wright's house because you hope to find something to substantiate the fiction people have been reporting to you!"

Another stony silence descended. Then a new voice spoke up. Blackquill was in the doorway again. "The discovery is done."

"Blackquill, I thought you were going to look me up after the last war." Edgeworth said.

"I was, but then there was Prohibition, and the Depression, and now there's another war."

"Ask him who complained about Klavier." Phoenix said.

Edgeworth glanced at Blackquill, who shrugged. "Three anonymous complaints."

"I see." Edgeworth said. He looked at Debeste. "I believe we have reached an impasse. You don't have any evidence."

"What I have is the federal authority to hold someone who is suspected of spying!" Debeste said.

"You don't have proof my client is spying! And you don't have grounds to hold him either." Phoenix retorted.

There was another pause, then Blackquill spoke. "I would like to suggest a compromise."

* * *

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 _Munich, Germany_

 _Spring, 1941_

 _Klavier has just dropped Heidi off at her friend's house where she's going to do some sewing – according to Heidi this friend helps sew clothes for the soldiers, and Heidi helps divert these clothes to the refugees, mostly Jewish, that pass through Munich on their way out. Her friend is oblivious to this, largely because she believes that Heidi is taking the clothing to her brothers who are distributing it to where it is needed. She does, in case her friend ever asks her brothers, but not all of the clothes make it to the war effort._

 _Klavier does not need to be here, not really. But it helps with the facade they are trying to maintain. He's turning away when strong hands grab him and fling him against the brick wall of a building. The houses in this part of town are smaller, closer together, and closer to the road._

 _Klavier's back hit the wall and he saw Franz von Metz, dressed in his Nazi uniform, glaring at him angrily. Klavier does not take offense at this. "Hello Franz. You never come back to the neighborhood anymore."_

 _"I am doing my duty for my country, unlike you." Franz said, sending a scathing glance at Klavier._

 _"Well, it's strange you would be here in that case, since I would think your duties would keep you busy enough." Klavier replied. "Let go of my lapels please, you're stretching the material."_

 _Franz does not let go, and after another moment, Klavier brings his knee up into the other man's stomach, and when Franz doubles over, he drives an elbow into the Nazi's back, forcing him down to his knees on the ground._

 _Klavier steps away from the wall, and straightens his clothes. "Now, perhaps we can talk."_

 _"How dare you." Franz gasps out. "How dare you assault a Nazi officer, you swine!"_

 _"It's going to be a rather embarrassing explanation back at the office, isn't it?" Klavier asks, putting his hands on his hips and leaning forward towards the other man. "How a Nazi officer managed to get beaten by a civilian who was minding his own business. After assaulting the civilian to begin with. I would be interested in hearing how you explain this. We should go now and make a full report, don't you agree?"_

 _Franz leapt to his feet. "I want to know what you're doing with my sister!"_

 _Klavier silently apologized to Heidi. He straightens and crosses his arms over his chest. "Nothing that she will not let me do."_

 _"How dare you!" Franz spat._

 _Klavier gave him a curious look. "You would not do the same in my situation?"_

 _Franz said nothing. Klavier smirked. "Don't answer that. Your silence is answer enough. I will be back in two hours to walk Heidi home. Perhaps we can talk more then, yes? Don't worry, my intentions for your sister are honorable. Her intentions for me, however, well…" Klavier gives his best smile and strides back in the direction he'd come, leaving Franz to watch him go and fume as he leaves._

* * *

 **[A/N:]** The title for this chapter is a dubbed-out line from Petra's song "Witch Hunt" again. The line is "Don Quixote's got to have another windmill to attack."

I don't know what they say in other countries, but in America we say, "A lawyer who has himself for a client has a fool for a client and a bigger fool for an attorney." One of the valuable things about having an attorney is that you have someone who is on your side but isn't emotionally involved in the trial which prevents them from making the same mistakes that a person involved in the matter would.

"Three anonymous complaints" – From experience I can tell you that some small towns, once they make up their minds about things, will not let go of the idea. I don't think this is an America-only thing either. I think that it's the same, all over the world. I don't believe it's a cultural thing, I think it's a human nature thing.

I did not look up how courts operate in the 1940s, I just ran with what I know about how courts today in Indiana (the state where I live) work. A notice of appearance is what an attorney puts into a court to advise the court they representing someone. In this case, Phoenix just showed the appearance to Debeste because as he noted, there's not really a court here. If there was, then he would have had to file it with the court. And it's notarized to say that the person who signed it really did sign it. I imagine that as attorneys, Phoenix and Miles both are also Notary Publics.

I tried looking into Nazi racial theories and I was more confused when I stopped then when I started. If someone understands this stuff, please PM me and explain it so I can understand too. Anyway, devout Nazi Franz von Metz should really be less upset that his sister's hanging around with a blond-haired, blue-eyed guy. I would think as a Nazi that's the best he could hope for right there.

Please review, and Happy Halloween!


	14. When the Hardest Part is Over

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 14: When the Hardest Part is Over**

The air is cold, but it's fresh, and it's the first fresh air Klavier has breathed in three days. It's a relief.

"I'm genuinely sorry you had to go through that." Phoenix, who stepped out the door of the jail behind him, said.

"It's alright. I am free now, for the moment, and that is something, yes?"

Phoenix rubbed the back of his head, looked more somber then nervous when he did. "Yeah…it is."

It could be worse, Phoenix tried to remind himself.

Of course, it was pretty bad as it was.

Blackquill's compromise had been simple: Klavier could be paroled to the custody of Phoenix Wright. Phoenix's reputation preceded him, and with him and Edgeworth both to vouch for Klavier there was no reason to keep him.

There were some caveats to this.

Klavier was now considered an Enemy Alien. Tomorrow Phoenix would take all of Klavier's travel and identity documents and bring them to Edgeworth, who would keep them. Debeste had demanded that he would be allowed to keep them. Edgeworth had flatly refused, demanding that either he be allowed to hold onto Klavier's travel documents or Blackquill be allowed to keep them, but not Debeste. Blackquill had quickly decided that Edgeworth holding them would be just fine.

There had been a question of whether or not Klavier should be required to appear before a parole board once a month. Edgeworth had informed them that he would check in from time to time and make sure that Klavier wasn't doing anything untoward. Blackquill had agreed before Debeste could object. Klavier could not travel outside of the town without permission.

But he was out of jail, and would be returning home with Phoenix, so there was that.

"What a mess." Edgeworth said behind them. He had come out of the building, followed by Detective Gumshoe. He turned to Gumshoe. "Detective, please take Wright and Gavin back home. I have some things to finish up at the office."

Phoenix looked at his watch and sighed. "I didn't realize it was that late."

"You got it, Mr. Edgeworth." Gumshoe said with a salute.

"Wright, I'll talk to you later." Edgeworth said, heading off to where he had parked his own car.

"Yeah…I'll see you tomorrow." Wright said as the other man walked off.

In spite of Gumshoe's best efforts to start a conversation once they were in the car, the ride back to Phoenix's house was a quiet one, and even Gumshoe gave up after a few tries to engage the others in a conversation. Phoenix was quiet, and Klavier withdrawn.

* * *

When they arrive home, Apollo is sitting in the living room, reading. He set the book down when they walked in. "Klavier! Where have you been? What happened?"

For a moment he wasn't sure if his roommate had heard him, then Klavier said, " _Ja, das ist die Frage, ist es nicht?"_

"I…don't know that much German, Klavier." Apollo admitted. He'd picked up sporadic words, largely assuming the meaning from the surrounding (English) context.

Phoenix couldn't translate the question, but based on Klavier's tone he figured he could guess the general idea behind the question. "Sit down, Klavier." He said, indicating the table. "Apollo, come join us. Let's talk."

Phoenix ends up doing most of the explaining and answering most of Apollo's questions. The younger man is outraged at what he learns, but there's nothing that can be done. And tomorrow Phoenix will have to take all of Klavier's travel documents and give them to Edgeworth.

Through the explanation, and Apollo's very vocal objections to certain parts of it, Klavier sits quietly and says nothing.

* * *

Trucy had had a long day at school.

She's had a lot of losses in her life, and she's tired of them. In her morning classes, she thinks about her mother, whom she cannot remember, and her Grandfather, who she vaguely remembers and who first taught her magic. She's not exactly sure how he went away, but her first Daddy had told her he'd gotten sick, so that probably explained it.

At lunch her friends are there, pestering her to show off her new magic tricks. She had told them earlier in the week that she was working some new ones. Trucy enjoyed stumping her friends with her magic, but she never told them how she did the tricks, regardless of how much they asked. But today she declined to show them anything.

After lunch, in arithmetic class, she's staring at the problems in her textbook when her mind turns again to Klavier's disappearance. She remembers Apollo pointing at Klavier's guitar and saying he wouldn't leave without it.

But other people have left before, and left everything behind. And Trucy doesn't know how to say to Apollo that she knows it's true because she's seen it happen before.

The roiling feeling in her stomach that's been there all day hasn't gone away.

The math problem in her book is starting to blur now. Trucy blinks to clear her eyes and picks up her pencil, beginning to work the problem out on her paper.

She tries to remind herself that things are different now. She has her new Daddy, and a brother, and two uncles. She'd like a mother, too, but she doesn't think that Phoenix is working on that very much. In the meantime, she's got another brother in Klavier, and since his arrival has decided that she likes her large family.

Or she had liked her large family, since no one knows what's happened to him or why he went missing. And if Klavier can just up and vanish, then who will be next? Apollo? Uncle Miles?

What if it was worse? What if it was Phoenix?

 _Everyone goes away eventually_ , she thought, _they just disappear_ , and this time two treacherous tears escaped and started down her cheeks.

Mrs. June, the arithmetic instructor, looked up at that moment and happened to notice. "Trucy, is everything alright?"

Trucy hastily wiped the tears away and smiled. "Yes, everything's fine! I was…just having some trouble with this problem."

Mrs. June looked concerned. "There's no need to be upset, Trucy. You can bring your book and papers up here and I'll help you work through the problem."

Trucy nodded and brought her things up to the teacher's desk. After that, she kept a smile on her face for the rest of the afternoon.

As soon as the last class was over Trucy collected her books and headed for the door. She didn't stay to talk to any of her friends, instead setting straight out for home.

Maybe Apollo was right, and Phoenix would be able to break the streak of people disappearing.

She doesn't run home, because she doesn't want to let on to anyone that anything is wrong, though Ema and her sister know, and Uncle Miles should know by now too. But she doesn't waste time getting back, either.

* * *

Klavier's silence has become so noticeable that even Apollo has begun to wonder about it. "Klavier, are you alright?"

"Ja. Why would I not be?" Klavier asked.

There were a lot of things Apollo wanted to say to that, but he couldn't think of how to phrase them. So he said nothing. Klavier stood up. "I am going to go upstairs and change." He said.

The door was flung open at that moment, and Trucy burst into the house. "Daddy, is Klavier back?" She asked, then she caught sight of the blond.

"Klavier, you're back!" She shrieked, dropping her books and running over to him. She jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck. It leaves her in an odd position, with her feet off the floor since Klavier is considerably taller then she is.

Klavier was taken aback at her reaction. "I'm really glad you're back!" Trucy said. "So many people go away and don't come back! I'm glad Apollo was right and Daddy brought you home!"

He'd like to be touched by this, but something else is in the forefront of Klavier's mind. "It seems, Fraulein Trucy, that your country thinks I am the enemy now." He feels grimy, he smells like jail, his fingers are still not clean even though he had tried to get the fingerprinting ink off before he left the jail, and he has no idea what the future will look like now that he's had his status changed.

"No." Trucy insists, and tightens her grip on him. "You're not the enemy. You're Klavier, my other big brother."

And then the icy walls he'd built around himself to close off his reactions to what had happened since his arrest start to melt, and he returns Trucy's embrace.

* * *

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 _Munich, Germany_

 _Spring 1941_

Klavier had expected Heidi to be upset when he returned to escort her home, instead, she hears his story and bursts out laughing. "You beat up that bully! I wish I could have been there to see it!"

"I did not 'beat him up.'" Klavier corrected. "I simply made him let go of me. But I also …very strongly implied that I was simply returning your advances. I don't think he liked hearing that. And I am sorry I had to say it, too."

Heidi waved her hand as if to wave his words away. "Never mind. That was the cover we agreed on that first night, wasn't it? It will be alright. I will do what I can to handle Franz." She has a carton with her, and Klavier takes it from her. Together they set off towards home.

They stop at Frau Dreier's home to drop off some of the clothing, and then Klavier escorts Heidi to her house before departing for his.

Heidi has no sooner walked in the doorway of her home before Franz appears. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Walking home. Why? Is there new law against that too?" She asked indifferently.

"Klavier Gavin is not a member of the Party! What are you doing being seen with him?"

Heidi raised an eyebrow. "Father isn't a member of the party either, and you associate with him."

"I don't want to see you with Gavin again!"

"You are not Father, and you cannot tell me what to do!" Heidi spat, dropping the carton of clothing. "This is war, and I want to live a little."

She didn't stay to listen to his response, instead hurrying on past him, up the stairs towards her room.

She can remember Bert, how happy he was with his toy airplanes, and how excited he was at the stories of Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart. Franz had sneered at his older brother's fascination with any pilot regardless of where they were from. Max and Eric, Heidi's oldest brothers, had taken a different route, instead encouraging Bert to turn his attention to likes of Manfred von Richthofen and Ernst Udet. She remembered how she would take Bert to the library where he would look through all the newspapers carefully and copy all of the information about the pilots and the plane out into his favorite notebook, which had an outline of an airplane embossed on the cover.

And now she will never see Bert again.

Heidi could hardly wait until Franz's leave was over.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** I was hoping to get more done this week, but that didn't happen.

Nazi Germany is most famously remembered for the Holocaust that affected primarily Jews, but they killed a lot of other people too, including a number of native-born Germans. (The line "People forget that the first country the Nazis invaded was their own" from Captain America: The First Avenger became a lot more heartrending when I started researching this story. It's not that I doubted the line, because I knew it was true, but I was in the middle line between "doubt" and "believe." Now I believe. (And expect that line to show up again.)) TVTropes and other places mention the T-4 program that euthanized the disabled in Germany, and I read about it somewhere else too, though I don't remember if I read about online or in a book. And that's why Heidi hates the Nazis.

Klavier's travel being restricting, losing his ID papers, and everything else could and did happen to people who were accused of being an Enemy Alien. And I'm sorry to have to say that Klavier's case has a happier ending compared to others, since Phoenix and Edgeworth managed to get him out of jail and keep him from getting shipped to a larger holding facility in some other town or just deported back to Germany. Honestly, I don't understand why people got deported back to Germany. I don't know why the Third Reich took them back, and I don't know what America was thinking by deporting them. Let's say that Klavier did get deported: what's gonna stop the Third Reich from putting him in their army and making him fight against America? At least in America, he's not fighting America.

Historical hindsight is always 20/20, but I do have to wonder how well the "let's deport these people" plan was thought out.

" _Ja, das ist die Frage, ist es nicht?"_ according to Google Translate, means, "Yes, that is the question, isn't it/is it not?" Klavier's still trying to process everything that's happened to him here.

And it's my personal headcannon that Trucy doesn't like people disappearing on her. It's okay id she knows where they've gone, but not okay if they just disappear. Though in Klavier's defense, it's not like he got a choice.

Chapter title comes from the song "Crossfire" by Brandon Flowers. If everything goes according to my plan, that will come back again.

Alright, I think that's everything. Any questions, you know the drill! Please review.


	15. Challenges of Freedom

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 15: Challenges of Freedom  
**

When Apollo drags himself downstairs the next morning, he can almost believe that nothing has changed. Klavier is in the kitchen, cooking breakfast. Trucy is setting the table, her schoolbooks stacked neatly on the table by the door.

Trucy finishes the table, and that's when Apollo noticed the papers, all neatly folded, sitting on the table near Phoenix's chair. There's a passport on top of the stack. He doesn't have to look any closer to realize why they are where they've been put.

Phoenix comes downstairs next. "Good morning." He tells the group in general.

"Morning Daddy!" Trucy says cheerful.

Apollo returns "Good morning," just as Klavier says, " _Guten Morgen_."

Phoenix does not stop to examine the documents on the table, or the passport. He simply picks them up and puts them in his briefcase. Then he turns to the newspaper and starts flipping through it, looking for information that may have been published about his newest case.

"I'm going to go practice my magic tricks until breakfast is ready!" Trucy says, and darted back up the stairs.

"Don't set the house on fire." Phoenix calls after her without looking up from his newspaper.

Apollo gets a cup of coffee from the percolator in the kitchen and watches Klavier, who's watching the omelet cook as though he's never seen anything more interesting. He's acting a bit subdued this morning, but Apollo supposed he shouldn't be surprised by that in light of recent developments. "Do you need something, Herr Forehead?" Klavier finally asks.

"Nope. Just standing here, enjoying my coffee." Apollo said. He opened the fridge and took out the bottle of milk. It was almost empty. He set it on the table and set his coffee cup by his plate.

"The food is ready." Klavier said a moment later.

"I'll get Trucy." Apollo volunteered.

When they all gathered around the table a few minutes later, Trucy brought up the subject of the Christmas tree. "We haven't decorated it yet. We need to do that soon!"

"It's going to take a couple of days to string enough popcorn to go around that thing." Apollo said doubtfully, casting a glance at the tree in the stand in the corner of the living room.

"We can start tonight! And we can make cookies and things for everyone when they come over!" Trucy said excitedly.

Larry choose that moment to burst in through the front door. "Good morning everyone!" He headed straight into the kitchen and got a plate form the cupboard and then pulled another chair up to the table. "I was out on early assignment so I thought I'd drop by."

"We noticed." Apollo informed him flatly.

"What's for breakfast?" Larry asked.

"Eggs." Apollo replied shortly.

"Again?" He looked at Phoenix. "Hasn't Lotta paid you off yet?"

"She's working on it." Phoenix said.

"This doesn't look like your work, Nick," Larry said, helping himself to a piece of the omelet.

"Because it was not his work." Klavier said.

"Oh! I didn't know you were cooking these days. It's…Kantilen, right?" Larry asked.

"Klavier." The blond corrected.

"I knew it was something like that." Larry said, spearing apiece of the omelet with his fork. "So Nick, you know anything about the draft notices that are being sent out?"

Phoenix gave him exasperated look. "Listen, Larry, I'm an attorney. I don't sit on the Draft Board."

"Well, a good newspaperman tries all his sources."

"Larry, I don't want you to quote me or anyone in this house on anything, ever." Phoenix informed him flatly.

Larry didn't seem to take offense to it. He turned to Klavier. "Hey, Kantilen- "

"Klavier." The blond corrected again.

"Anyway," Larry went on. "Do you have any insights on Germany's declaration of war?"

Phoenix and Apollo suddenly both look exasperated.

"No, I have not been in Germany since August of this year." Klavier replied calmly.

Phoenix got to his feet. "Oh, look at the time. I need to go to work, and, uh, I think you do too, Larry."

"What?" Larry asked, looking at his plate. "I'm not done - " But Phoenix pulled him to his feet before he could finish.

"Bye Trucy. See you tonight. Apollo, Klavier." Phoenix finished as he picked up his briefcase and fairly dragged a still-protesting Larry out the door with him. The door closed behind them and there was along moment of silence.

"Uncle Larry was a bit rude this morning." Trucy broke the silence after they were gone, looking at her plate.

"Is he always like this?" Klavier asked, turning to Apollo, who had one hand on his face.

"He's been known to be worse." Apollo admitted. Sometimes Larry had all the tact of an elephant stampede. He dropped his hand back to table and stood up. "I'm going to start the dishes."

* * *

Lana ran into Phoenix in the halls of the courthouse later that morning, and they duck into the entryway of one of the courtrooms to talk without being overheard.

"I saw Miles for exactly two minutes this morning. He told me that two of you found Klavier. He said that the government thinks Klavier is a German spy."

"Well, it's all true." Phoenix said. "Klavier is home now. I'd love to know who the three anonymous snitches were."

Edgeworth joined them in the entryway just then. "Wright, the judge is wondering you are."

"Oh, man," Phoenix pulled out his watch and saw that he was indeed about to be late for his hearing. "Larry was over this morning. He wanted to ask Klavier about life in Germany."

Edgeworth looked exasperated. "I hope you warned Larry not to publish anything."

"I did." Phoenix said. He pulled Klavier's passport and the other papers out of his bag and handed to Edgeworth. "I've got to get to court. Will you fill Lana in on the other details?"

"Yes."

"Thanks. I've got to run." Phoenix exited the doorway and hurried in the direction of the other courtroom.

"Let's go to my office. I don't know who made the complaints and in case any of them work here, I don't want to be overheard." Edgeworth said.

"You don't think it's that bad, do you?" Lana asked.

"You remember the anti-German sentiment from the last war? I guess a new war gets a new round of it."

Lana frowned. "Let's go to your office. And this time you can tell me everything."

* * *

When Apollo arrived home that afternoon, Trucy was in the living room, threading popcorn onto a long black string. A bowl of the stuff is on the table in front of it.

"I thought you weren't decorating the tree yet." Apollo said.

"I'm getting the popcorn string ready. You're right, Polly. It is going to take a long time."

Apollo glanced around. "Where's Klavier?"

"He went upstairs." Trucy replied, not looking up from stringing the popcorn. "There's a letter for you on the table."

Apollo went to the dining room and found the letter on the table. He saw the return address. "Hoo boy."

"Is it bad?" Trucy asked.

For a moment there was quiet. "It's my draft letter, Trucy." Apollo finally said.

* * *

~xXx~

* * *

 _Munich, Germany_

 _Spring, 1941_

The night was foggy, just enough to make sure that the light from the streetlights didn't make it very far. And it was chilly, too, just enough to make a coat a good idea, even though the spring flowers had finished blooming.

The few pedestrians that were out were not stopping to talk, but were hurrying home. It was going to get dark soon, and with the fog visibility would get worse.

A man paused near a streetlight to light a cigarette, and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw another man walking towards him as calmly as though it was daylight. The new man was blond-haired, wearing a plum-colored trench coat with silver-tone buttons, and black pants and boots.

"I hope that the cigarette isn't your idea of a signal." The man in the plum-colored coat said.

"No. It's for my nerves. I'm to meet a Fraulein von Metz here." The smoker said quietly.

"I know. She couldn't come tonight. Something came up. She sent me instead."

"And you are one of her associates, Herr…?"

"Gavin. Klavier Gavin. And yes, I am one of her associates."

The man exhaled a plume of smoke. "Have you ever read _Les Miserables_ , Herr Gavin?"

"A very long time ago. But I remember some quotes from it."

"Hugo was an excellent writer. A brilliant man." The smoker went on, watching as another pedestrian on the other side of the road hurried into a building. "Not being heard is no reason for silence."

"You ask me what forces me to speak?" Klavier said. "A strange thing: my conscience."

The man exhales another plume of smoke. "A brilliant book. It was nice meeting you, Herr Gavin." He reaches out to shake Klavier's hand, and as he does, he passes a slip of paper from his hand into Klavier's.

"I enjoyed speaking with you." Klavier replied. "Have a pleasant evening."

"You also." The man said. He ground his cigarette butt out under his heel and walked away.

Klavier went around the block and then set out towards home. When he arrived, all the lights were out, even the one in Kristoph's office which meant that his older brother had finally gone to bed.

Klavier had the key to the front door in the pocket of his coat, but he instead walked around the house to the yard in the back, and came to the sturdy tree that grew outside his window. He climbed the tree with ease, and then slid open the window and crawled back into his room.

He had left the window open just a crack. Anymore and then that and there would be a draft, which Kristoph might have noticed if he had happened to walk by. Klavier closed the window, and looked at the paper. It doesn't make much sense, but there are ways to unravel the meaning. He tucked the slip into his coat pocket with the key to the house.

Tomorrow he would call on Heidi and let her know what had transpired, and have her translate the note.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** Another slow chapter. The next one will be too. But I think I'm double posting today because I've gotten two chapters finished this weekend. Yay!

Incidentally, we'll be done with the year 1941 in chapter 19. Kantilen is actually Klavier's name in the German version of the game, because his being called Klavier - which I think sounds nice - would not fly very well in Germany. I actually think Kantilen is pretty, too. Klavier is called Konrad in the French version. Kristoph, oddly enough, goes through no name changes through those three versions I mentioned.

I didn't really have a title for this chapter so I copped out and used a paraphrased line form an FDR speech. it's from a speech he gave at the dedication of the Jefferson Memorial. You can interpret it as referring to the new challenge Apollo is facing, namely, he's been called up to go defend freedom.

Mm...can't think of anything that I need to note here. Please review.


	16. Brace Ourselves to Our Duties

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 16: Brace Ourselves to Our Duties  
**

Phoenix has no sooner walked through the door that evening then Apollo has dragged him upstairs to his room to talk, ideally because if they are upstairs then Trucy can't overhear them. There are some things Apollo wants to ask the older man, and he doesn't want trucy to know about the questions either. So they go into Phoenix's room and close the door.

Trucy is still working on her string of popcorn, and she barely has time to greet her father before Apollo has dragged him upstairs. The two of them go up as Klavier is coming down. He looks after them curiously. "What is that all about?" He asked, turning to Trucy.

She shrugged. "I don't know. Apollo said he had his draft letter, and then Daddy came home and he and Polly went right upstairs."

The thought of the draft letter strikes a note of warning in Klavier's mind but he ignores it. There's no help now for his country, but there wasn't any before America got involved in the war either. He tried to turn his mind to other things. "How is the popcorn coming?" Klavier asked.

"It's good! Look, the string is almost half full!" Trucy said, holding her work up for inspection.

" _Wunderbar_." Klavier said.

Trucy dropped the string back to the floor. "I want to have it done in time for decorating the tree!"

"You are off to a fine start." The blond replied, heading into the kitchen.

"I wonder what Daddy and Polly are talking about." Trucy said to no one in particular as she went back to work.

* * *

Phoenix had had a long day, to finish off what had been a long week, and then, just when he thought things were going to settle down, Apollo's draft letter had arrived.

"Well, you're just going to have to do what they tell you." Phoenix said. "You can't really do much else."

"Yeah, but what am I gonna tell Trucy?"

Phoenix considered the question. "The truth. She'll be fine as long as she knows where you're going and when you'll be back." It is people disappearing without a trace and without so much as a goodbye that tends to upset Trucy.

It would be nice, Phoenix thought, if things could just quiet down for awhile. First Klavier disappeared, although he didn't get much of a say in the matter, and now Apollo will have to leave.

But at least this departure they could plan for.

"Well, let's go back downstairs. There's no running from this one." Phoenix said.

There's no way to make it easier, either.

* * *

Dinner that evening is a quiet affair. Apollo announced that he was leaving the next day to report to the draft board.

"I'll be gone for three days." Apollo said.

"Good luck, Herr Forehead." Klavier said quietly.

"You'll get to come back before they send you away to war, right?" Trucy asked.

"I don't know Trucy."

"But you'll definitely write?" Trucy asked.

"Yes, I'll write, and if I get to come home, I'll come home." He smiled. "Don't worry. I'll be fine."

Trucy frowned, seeming unconvinced, but then she smiled and nodded.

And Apollo hoped that his predictions were right, again, because if he does end up going to war, there's always the possibility that he won't come back.

* * *

 _Munich, Germany_

 _Present Day_

Kristoph Gavin sat at a table in the very back of a small café, sipping a beer.

Calisto Yew approached the table and sat down. "How nice to see you without having to dress up for the occasion. Say, did you know that someone vandalized your house? They've hung the ugliest flag in front of your door. In fact, they've made the whole neighborhood ugly."

"I hung the flag." Kristoph said flatly. "The better to not attract attention during the military parade tomorrow. Do you remember that I am supposed to be a Nazi as far as the rest of the Party is concerned?"

"Who made the rest of the neighborhood do it?" Callisto asked.

"Some of them did it of their own volition. And I'm sure for the ones that didn't, Franz von Metz, regular neighborhood menace and devout party loyalist, went knocking on their door." Kristoph replied.

"He sounds like a pain."

"I promise you have no idea. So what does London want now?"

"Any news about the bombing missions on Britain is what the Underground is fishing for now."

"All I get are the after-effect reports." Kristoph told her.

"Well, if you get anything, pass it along. They really need it over there."

"Absolutely." He replied.

Callisto smiled. "Will you be at the parade tomorrow?"

Kristoph took another sip of his beer. "Fortunately, I will be spared that indignity. I'll be at work."

"At seven o'clock at night?"

"It won't be the first time."

* * *

 _Phoenix Wright's House_

 _East Coast, United States_

Trucy can't sleep that night.

Apollo is leaving, and she knows that he'll stay in touch. He's not going to up and vanish like Klavier had – and as far as she knows, no one's going to show up out the blue and take him away, either.

But he's still leaving.

Trucy finally gives up trying to sleep and peeks out the door of her room. There's a light on downstairs, but Phoenix's door is closed and there's no light shining under it. Trucy knows she can knock on the door and wake him up if she needs too. She's done it before, even it's just to talk about something that's bothering her late at night, and he's never been angry with her for it before.

Instead, she goes downstairs and finds Apollo sitting on the couch in the living room. The light is on, and she can identify the book he's reading just by the design on the cover: _Kidnapped_ by Robert Louis Stevenson. Apollo looks up from his reading when she walks in. The grandfather clock shows it's face in the light: 1:12 a.m.

"Trucy?" He asks quietly. "What are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep." Trucy told him. "And I saw the light on, so I thought I'd come downstairs. You don't mind, do you?"

"Not at all. I'm just reading."

Trucy nods, and sits on the floor before pulling out her deck of cards and starting to run through her magic tricks. When Apollo first moved in, she and Phoenix had discussed the fact that Apollo tended to be up all night. "He's a night owl," Phoenix had said. "So he stays up late and sleeps in late."

It was a habit that Apollo never got out of, end even at college he could be found in the community room of the dormitory, doing homework at all hours of the night. He tried to keep his late-night activities quiet so as not to disturb anyone who was trying to sleep.

"Are you worried?" Trucy asked after a little while.

"Not really." Apollo said. "I think it's too early for that."

"Okay."

Silence reigned again apart from the ticking of the clock and the noises of cards being shuffled and book pages being turned.

Trucy starts yawning about half an hour later. Apollo notices. "You can to bed. I'm going to be here to say goodbye in the morning."

"I'd rather just stay down here." Trucy replied.

"Why don't you sit on the couch with me?" Apollo asked. "There's plenty of room."

"Okay." Trucy agreed, and curled up on the other end of the couch. Apollo didn't say anything else but went back to his reading as Trucy started flipping through her cards, looking at their faces.

When Phoenix comes downstairs the next morning, it's earlier than normal. The sky is still dark. He'd gotten some sleep, but not much.

Downstairs, he finds Apollo still up, reading his book, and thinks immediately that Apollo will sleep through the whole train trip later to make up for it.

The younger man looks up when Phoenix appears, and still looks wide awake. "Good morning." He said quietly.

"Good morning." Phoenix replies. That's when he notices Trucy curled up on the other side of the couch, covered with a blanket. The cards she had been playing with the night before are neatly stacked on the low table in front of the couch. "How long has she been asleep?"

Apollo looked at the clock. "Since two a.m. or so." He closed his book and set it on the table.

Phoenix nodded and turned to enter the kitchen.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** Double dipping this story today. The real question, given the time period for this story, is: Are Phoenix and Edgeworth World War I veterans? There were only about twenty years between the two wars, so it's a possibility that they are. In the second World War, the draft extended up to men who were 37 years old. I'm running as much as I can on vague age here, but I don't think that in these particular circumstances, either Phoenix or Edgeworth would be drafted. Edgeworth's job as Chief Prosecutor would probably get him excused, and since Phoenix is the only parent Trucy has, I don't think they would draft him either.

By present day in Germany, the only thing I mean is we're not time skipping. Technically, Munich, Germany, is six hours ahead of ...well, I used New York City as a pinpoint for the comparison, but Phoenix and the others aren't living in that city. But these events happening pretty close together and that's what I was trying to convey. (Though I guess Kristoph could be out at 11 pm or so drinking. It's not like he's got a curfew or anything.)

' _Wunderbar_ ' means "Wonderful" in German.

I didn't have very good titles for 15 or 16 when I finished writing them but I did try and fix that before I posted them. This chapter title comes from a speech by Winston Churchill. It's actually from the speech better known for the line, "[I]f the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, "This was their finest hour.""

Alright. Please review.


	17. Two Different Types of Similar

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 17: Two Different Types of Similar**

Apollo's departure to answer to the draft board coincides with Trucy's last day of school for the year, which she missed. The day after Apollo leaves is the first day of break, but when Phoenix suggests that it's time to invite Ema and everyone over and decorate the tree, as they have usually done on the first day of winter break, Trucy doesn't seem so sure.

"After all, if we wait, Polly might come back and be able to help us." Trucy said.

"Or we could get it all done and surprise him when he comes back." Phoenix countered. He didn't want to have to tell her that if the draft board decided that Apollo was fit to serve, he wouldn't be back for weeks.

"But you know that even if Polly complains about it, he likes to help."

Phoenix gave up and decided to be honest. "Trucy, if he does have to join the military, he won't be back for weeks."

"But he might not have to join."

Phoenix floundered again, but this time he was rescued by Klavier's appearance. The blond came in with breakfast and set the platter on the table and for a moment everyone is distracted dishing up their food.

The reprieve does not last long. "What do we do if Polly does have to join the military and has to go to war?"

There's no way to get out of answering the question, and Phoenix finally gives up. "We wait for him to come back and do the best we can to go on with our lives in the meantime."

Trucy still looked unsure. "Does that ever get easier?"

This time, Klavier answered her. "It doesn't. But you get used to the feeling, and you can go on in spite of it."

"Polly said your big brother was still in Germany." Trucy said quietly, as though she wasn't sure about whether or not she was treading somewhere she shouldn't.

"He is." Klavier replied. "Kristoph did not …he choose to stay in Germany."

The rest of breakfast passes quietly. After breakfast Phoenix departed for work. Klavier and Trucy started cleaning up the kitchen.

"Maybe we should start making cookies." Trucy admitted once the dishes were washed. "I mean, if everyone's going to come over and help decorate the tree, we always have cookies and cocoa and tea for Uncle Miles."

"I think that's a good idea." Klavier said. "Apollo will understand."

"Yeah, I guess that's true." Trucy replied. "But I feel bad for doing things without him." She looked at Klavier. "Is that normal?"

"It is." He replied.

Trucy nodded. "Okay. I'll get the recipe book. And anyway!" She added, suddenly cheerful again. "If Apollo does come home, then all the cookies will be done already and he won't complain about having to help with making them!"

Even Klavier grinned at that. "That is one way to look at it, Trucy. Get the recipes. I'll help you."

* * *

Phoenix is more relieved than he cares to admit when he gets a phone call at the office later that morning from Trucy. She tells him that she and Klavier are busy making cookies and asks if he would please tell Lana and Uncle Miles to come tomorrow night and help decorate the tree. He agrees happily, hangs up, and then realizes that he's going to be late if he doesn't hurry.

So he snatches his satchel and races to court. Inside the building he nearly runs into Lana, and they duck into an alcove to talk, again.

"Apollo got his draft notice and he left yesterday." Phoenix blurts out. "And Trucy wants you and Ema to come over tomorrow to help decorate the Christmas tree."

"We'll be glad to come." Lana replies. "And we'll be hoping that everything works out for Apollo."

"Thanks."

Edgeworth ducked into the alcove a moment later. "Wright, do you have an office or do you intend to keep using doorways and niches in the courthouse in lieu of your own office?"

"Lana works here, so she doesn't come by my office." Phoenix told him. "But since I try and keep my family's business private these days, I'll hide in corners to talk to my friends."

"That bad?" Lana asked, giving him a sympathetic look.

"I'm not going to give anyone else any grounds for anonymous complaints." Phoenix said. "I've had enough trouble with that already. Listen Edgeworth, are you free tomorrow? Trucy wants to decorate the tree."

"I'll be there." Edgeworth said.

"And Apollo got his draft letter so he had to go report in."

Edgeworth gave him a sympathetic look. "You told me this already, Wright. Remember? I enlisted Gumshoe to help drive you all to the train station."

"Oh yeah," Phoenix said, sounding slightly befuddled. He smiled and rubbed the back of head nervously. "Sorry. Long week."

"I imagine." Edgeworth said, not unkindly. "But shouldn't you be in court?"

Phoenix pulled out his watch, and his jaw dropped when he saw the time. "Yes, I should. See you two later!" He called back as he ran out of the alcove. He had just enough time to get to the courtroom if he hurried…

* * *

When Phoenix arrives home late that afternoon, Trucy is sitting in the living room, trying to finish the popcorn string. The house smells like cookies, though the smell of meat is slowly overpowering it. Dozens of cookies are stacked in neat rows on the counter tops.

That, Phoenix realizes and starts sweating, is an awful lot of cookies. He turns to Trucy. "That's …quite a few cookies, isn't it?"

"Yea! But if Apollo comes home, you know he always likes sugar cookies!" Trucy exclaimed. "And…I was wondering that, if he doesn't come home, we can send him some, can't we?" She glances around nervously, and it takes him a minute to see that she's glancing at Klavier, who is sitting at the table reading and for all appearances ignoring the conversation.

"Of course we can send him some!" Phoenix agreed. "It might not get there in time for Christmas, but we'll certainly send them anyway."

Trucy beams, and Phoenix feels relieved, like this is a problem that they can take head-on and not be left foundering for direction with. It's time for action, not reaction, and he likes the change.

He waited until he was sure that Trucy was engrossed in her popcorn string before he turned and stepped closer to the table.

Klavier closes the book and looks up at him, one finger marking the page in his book. Phoenix can see the title: _Der Schulterzucken_. He has no idea what it means. "Is there anything I can do to help get dinner ready?" He asked.

"I think everything is ready. The meat needs to cook a little longer. But that is all we're waiting on."

"Busy day around here, from the looks of it." Phoenix says, looking at the kitchen.

"It was." Klavier said.

 _Thank you._ Phoenix mouthed the words.

Klavier nodded.

Phoenix turned and headed upstairs to put his papers away.

* * *

~xXx~

* * *

 _Munich, Germany_

 _Spring 1941_

Klavier nudged the door of Kristoph's study open a tiny bit, just until he could see his older brother sitting at his desk, bent over some papers that he was writing on. Then he tugged the door closed again and went back to his own room.

He slid on his trench coat and sunglasses, then went out the window, closing it as he had before and setting off for Heidi's house. It was time to get the note from the night before translated.

When he arrived at the house, he went around to the back and started looking at the windows. Heidi's, he guessed, was the one with the pale pink curtains. He picked up some small stones and threw them at the window.

A moment later Heidi slid it open, looking ready to shout about something. She paused when she saw Klavier. "What are you doing here?"

"I need you to look at this note I got last night." He replied.

Heidi looked nervous. "You can't be here right now! Franz and all of my brothers are home, and Franz brought two of his friends home and they're as fanatical as he is!"

There's no tree by her window, but there's a large tree with sturdy branches two windows down and those branches nearly touch a third window. "Whose room is that? By the tree?"

"It's the twin's room. But they're with Mother at the moment." Heidi said, catching on to what he was getting at. She closed her window and was out of sight a moment later.

Klavier walked down to the tree and started to climb up it. One branch in particular was close to the window, and he settles himself on it. On the other side of the window, he sees Heidi working to unfasten the latch and a moment later she slides the window up. "What is it?"

Klavier takes the note out of his pocket and hands it to her. It looks, to the casual observer, like random comments about the weather and life. She sighed. "Some people make this too complicated."

"Do you know what this means?" Klavier asked.

"Yes. It means that three people are coming on the 11:15 train today and they need a place to stay where no one will look too closely at their travel papers." She looks at him. "So, Frau Dreier's house."

"11:15 doesn't give me much time to get to the station." Klavier noted. "I'll have to hurry."

She handed the note back to him. "Take this too. I don't need it falling into the hands of some Nazi and we've got plenty around here these days."

Klavier slips the note back into his pocket.

"I have to get downstairs. I'm going to be missed."

"Why is the Party gathering being held here?" Klavier asked.

She gave him an exasperated look. "Because my brother thinks that you really are courting me, and he doesn't like you. So he thinks that if he introduces me to some members of the party I'll reconsider and take up with one of them instead."

Klavier considers this. "He really fell for it, didn't he?"

Heidi gives him a wry look. "He's a fanatic, not a genius. I have to go." She closes the window and turns away.

Klavier is getting ready to climb out of the tree when the back door opens and two Nazis step out onto a small portico. He doesn't recognize them as Heidi's brothers, so they must be the friends Franz brought home. Both light up cigarettes.

There will be some awkward explanations if he's caught up here, but the Nazis are in his way, and there's no good way to get down. So Klavier sits and waits.

Even though there's a train coming in he needs to catch.

A cloud of cigarette smoke drifts up towards him and he wrinkles his nose. Kristoph hates the smell of cigarettes, and while Klavier might have gotten away with getting his ear pierced a few years ago, he's known for a long time that Kristoph will not tolerate cigarettes in the house. Smoking is something that Klavier has never even considered, and lately he's begun to dislike the smell.

He briefly considers climbing down to a lower branch to listen in to the conversation, but decides against it. The situation has the potential to be bad already; there's no need to make it worse.

After a few minutes, the Nazis turn and go back inside. Klavier waits a few minutes more, in case one of them comes back out. But neither of them does.

Finally he climbs back down and sets off.

He's got a train to meet.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** Happy midweek update, everyone. Suddenly, Klavier and Trucy are in the same boat. Poor Phoenix doesn't sound like he's doing so great either.

Der Schulterzucken, according to Google translate, is German for "The Shoulder Shrug." If someone out there speaks German and wants to confirm or correct this, please feel free to PM me. Beyond that, I don't have any notes, but if you see something that you do have a question about, as always, ask away.

Please review.


	18. Compass (When It's All Said and Done)

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 18: Compass (We're Really Not That Far Apart)**

That night, Trucy looks out the window of her room. She has a little window seat that she sits in when she's reading or practicing her magic, but tonight she sit there and looks at the stars.

There had been a heavy snow squall that began shortly after Phoenix arrived home, but it had since let up and moved on. It had left everything blanketed in white, and now the stars were shining brightly in the cold air.

The house is quiet now, but Trucy thinks that if Apollo were home he would still be downstairs reading, and there would still be a little light trickling in under her closed door. Tonight, though, there's no light trickling in. And as much as she wishes that she could go downstairs and find Apollo sitting on the couch with a book, she knows he isn't there.

Trucy looked at the stars. _I wish Apollo would come back. I don't care if it's selfish. I don't want him to go to war._ She leans her head against the window and sighs. Then she stands up.

She tiptoes to her door and opens it, then creeps down the hall to the room that Apollo and Klavier share. She taps on the door, and then pushes it open. "Klavier?" She whispers. "Klavier, are you awake?"

For a moment she thinks he's asleep, but then she hears him take a deep breath. " _Was ist es_ , Trucy?"

Trucy takes the statement as an invitation, creeps into the room further, and closes the door halfway to keep Phoenix from hearing her. "How long does it take to get used to missing someone you care about?"

She can't see him well in the dark, just an outline, now sitting up on the bed.

He sighs. "Months, Trucy. It takes months."

Trucy twists her hands together. "I don't want to be brave, Klavier. I don't want Apollo to go to war."

"No one wants to be brave, Trucy." Klavier admitted, and he sounded sad. "But no one can get out of having to do it, either."

"I can't sleep." Trucy admits, still twisting her hands. "I keep thinking about Polly."

If there's one thing Klavier doesn't want, it's to get involved in this. Helping Trucy makes him remember Kristoph, and he doesn't want to think about Kristoph, doesn't want to wonder if next time he hears a report of Germany being bombed it will say that Munich has been hit, doesn't want to wonder if his brother is still alive or not. He's not even sure he can write anymore now that he's branded an Enemy Alien, so even the one comfort that Trucy will have if Apollo gets deployed has been denied him.

But at the same time, there's no one else who can really understand what Trucy's dealing with, and he doesn't want to turn her away either.

"That's normal." He said. "Eventually it will stop, and it won't be so hard to sleep."

"I would feel bad if that happens." Trucy told him.

"I do not think Herr Forehead would want you to be miserable on his behalf, and I do think he would want you to skip sleeping, either."

"Polly always said he would stay up and read when he couldn't sleep. Maybe I'll go downstairs and read like he used too." Trucy decided.

"That is a good idea." Klavier tells her.

Trucy nods, and then realizes that, in the dark, Klavier probably can't see her do it. "Thanks, Klavier."

"Of course. _Gute Nacht_ , Trucy."

Trucy closes the door quietly and creeps down the stairs. In the dark, the Christmas tree is just a triangle in faint light. She sits on the couch, in Apollo's preferred spot next to the lamp, and turns the lamp on. She retrieved The Secret Garden from the bookshelf, and curled up in a blanket back in Apollo's seat near the light. Then she started to read.

Apollo had been known to conquer novels in a couple of night sittings. Trucy was in chapter three of the book when she fell asleep.

When Klavier comes downstairs the next morning, he pauses long enough to turn the light that is next to Trucy off. Then he goes into the kitchen and starts making breakfast, as quietly as he can.

* * *

That evening the house is full of activity. Lana and Ema show up before dinner, and Ema is shocked to find Klavier cooking. "You can cook?" Is the first thing she blurts out when she walks in the door.

"Did I not mention that to you at college?" Klavier asked with a grin.

"No, you didn't."

"I have many talents. Cooking is one of them." The blond replies cheerfully.

Lana doesn't seem surprised. "Is there anything you need us to do, Klavier?"

" _Nein, Danke_. The food is nearly done."

"And I've got the table set!" Trucy adds cheerfully.

Phoenix had been busy bringing up the boxes of Christmas decorations from the basement. Now he arrived at the top of the stairs with the last one, which he added to the others in the living room.

The front door swung open just then, and Edgeworth is there glaring dourly at Larry.

"Hello everyone!" Larry said cheerfully.

"I met Larry on the way over." Edgeworth explains as he enters the house. "Unfortunately I was not able to get rid of him before I arrived."

"Aw don't be that way Edgey." Larry said as he followed the other man in.

"I'll add another plate." Ema said. She entered the kitchen and got another plate out of the cupboard. Trucy was already getting out silverware.

Dinner found the seven of them crowded around the table. Trucy was between Phoenix and Edgeworth. Edgeworth discovered to his misfortune that he was to sit next to Larry, and then there was Lana, Klavier, and Ema closed the circle between Klavier and Phoenix.

Trucy thought it felt like Thanksgiving all over again, except that instead of being at Uncle Miles' house for the event, they stayed home.

And Klavier was here, and Apollo wasn't. It wasn't like years before had been.

But she found herself forgetting to be sad as dinner went on. Uncle Miles was completely exasperated with everything Uncle Larry did, and Klavier never missed an opportunity to tease Ema who in turn never failed to rise to the provocation.

It wasn't the same as it would have been if Apollo had been there, but it eased the tight feeling around her heart and made her miss him a little less.

After dinner, Phoenix and Trucy clear the table, leaving the dishes to be washed later. Lana and Ema move the trays and plates of cookies to the living room. Edgeworth starts to build a fire in the fireplace. Though Phoenix had his house put on electric heat years ago, the fireplace was there when he bought the house and he never removed it. Klavier and Larry are supposed to be making the hot chocolate and tea.

Trucy has an empty bowl that had held potatoes and she's holding it while Phoenix loads it with silverware to take into the kitchen when they hear Klavier. " _Nein! Nein_!" This is immediately followed the sound of ceramic shattering. " _Ach! Du bist so dumm wie Bohnenstroh_!"

The others had paused at the moment of drama, except for Edgeworth, who went on stacking logs. "That's putting it mildly." Is all he says in response to the German exclamation.

Larry is out of the kitchen a moment later. He grins nervously when he sees everyone looking at him. "Uh…Klavier does not want my help. Also, Nick, uh… you're gonna need a new teapot."

This time Phoenix and Edgeworth both glare at him. Lana gets up and goes into the kitchen, followed by Trucy with the last stack of dishes, and they help Klavier finish the drinks.

But once that's done, and the fire is lit in the fireplace, they start decorating the tree.

"Do you think that a little birch tree covered in lights would nice in the house?" Trucy asked as she hung an ornament on a branch. "I think it would be pretty with white lights and white bark."

"Yeah…" Ema conceded. "But you'd have to cut it down and bring it inside, and it wouldn't add a lot of color."

"That's true." Trucy admitted. "But I still think it would be pretty."

Phoenix was on a stepladder, trying to get the string of popcorn around the top of the tree. The lights were already wrapped around it. Lana and Edgeworth were supposed to be helping, but were instead seated together on the far end of the couch, talking to each other in low tones. Larry was supposed to be helping as well but had ended up eating cookies instead. No one felt an urgent need to make him come back and help, lest more of the ornaments go the way of the teapot.

Ema felt something light land on her head. "I agree with Trucy," Klavier said, and she spun around to see him standing behind her, arms crossed over his chest. Then she ran a hand over her head and came back with tinsel.

She glared at Klavier. "Quit it, Fop!"

He grinned at her.

Trucy was watching the two of them and didn't notice when the front door opened. "Gee, Trucy, I thought you would have had the tree all decorated by now. "

She turned around to see who was there and let out a scream of joy. "Apollo!" She raced over to him and threw her arms around him.

He smiled. "Hi Trucy. The Army doesn't want me."

Trucy smiled back, her eyes full of tears. "I'm sorry Polly. But not really 'cause you're back now."

"What did they say?" Phoenix demanded.

"They gave me a 4-F. I had rheumatic fever when I was little. They told me it damaged my heart." Apollo sounded perplexed by this.

"I don't care why it happened Polly. I'm just glad you're home."

Ema smiled and turned to Klavier, who was looking at the ceiling. "Fop?" she asked hesitantly.

He looked down at that, a smile firmly planted on his face. "Welcome back, Herr Forehead."

"It's good to be back." Apollo said. "Now I think we need to get this tree finished."

* * *

~xXx~

* * *

 _Munich, Germany_

 _Spring 1941_

Coming in on a train in broad daylight seemed like a strange risk to take, and when Klavier arrived at the train station, he asked about why the train was coming in at this time.

"It was delayed. Another train departed late and took precedence for the war effort. The train you've come to meet should have been at 2 am this morning." The station attendant told him when he asked.

Funny that the messenger last night didn't mention that when he dropped off the note, since he must have known when he dropped off the note, Klavier realized, but he simply smiled and thanked the attendant before turning to walk the platform.

A trio of passengers was being harassed by a station guard. There hadn't been any names in the note, at least none that Heidi had told him, but he couldn't shake the feeling that these were the people he'd been sent to find. Klavier wandered over to the group. He arrived in time to see the guard suspiciously examining their travel papers. "There is something wrong here." The man said.

"Ah. There you all are. I was starting to think that either you had missed the stop or I had missed the train." Klavier has to give them credit. The three are sweating bullets, but they manage not to show it when he speaks up.

The guard gives him a suspicious look. "You know these people?"

"Of course. I was asked to meet them here. The train was delayed, you know." Klavier added. "I am sorry to say that I almost missed you!" He tells the trio with a flourish.

One of the men looks dumbfounded. The other looks shocked. It's the woman in the party who manages to grab the lifeline Klavier is throwing to them. "Not so! It isn't your fault!" She tells him with emphasis. "The train was so late! We thought it would never arrive."

The guard looks at Klavier suspiciously. "You know them?"

"Of course. I'm glad they were able to come. It's been so long."

The woman nodded. "That it has."

The guard looked at all of them suspiciously. "They look like Jews to me." He informed Klavier.

Klavier scoffed. "You have been working too hard these days, seeing Jews everywhere. If I were you, I would put in for some time off. You must need it by now."

This does not allay the guard's suspicions any, but Klavier is already ignoring him. "Are you three ready? We need to get going."

"Of course." The woman replied. "We will follow you. I barely remember this place and I don't think you'll get us lost."

Klavier smiled. "Let's get started then. Pardon us, Herr Guard." He walks past the guard, plucking the travel documents out of the man's hand as he did. "Thank you." He was followed by the trio. The guard does not follow, instead huffing at them before turning away.

The quartet walked in silence back through the streets until they arrived at Frau Dreier's house. Klavier had wound them through the back streets and alleys of Munich, first because arriving at the front door would attract too much attention, and second, it would help keep them from being followed.

Frau Dreier was sitting on the back porch in the sunlight, rocking in a creaky rocking chair and knitting. "Welcome back Herr Sunshine." She said without looking up when four shadows stretched themselves across the porch.

"Hello Frau Dreier. I've brought your guests." Klavier told her.

"Yes, yes, I see that." Dreier said. She set down her knitting and stood up. "Come. I will take you to your rooms."

"Thank you." The woman said.

Klavier smiled. "Don't mention it."

One of the men, stopped, turned and threw his arms around Klavier. "Bless you," He said, with tears in his eyes. "I thought we were done for." He pulled a slender, leather bound volume out of his small traveling case, and handed it to Klavier. Inscribed across the front was a title: The Shoulder Shrug.

"I can't take this." Klavier said, trying to hand the book back.

"Please," The man said, returning it to him. "This is all I can give. And besides, it's a good book."

Klavier accepted it. "Thank you."

The man smiled. Frau Dreier cleared her throat. "The longer you stand out here, the more suspicious people will be. Go home, Herr Sunshine. Herr Moonlight will be missing you."

"Hardly." Klavier said, but he turned and started to walk away, still holding the book.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** I Googled tinsel to make sure I wasn't entering an error. (Yes, I really did. Sometimes when it comes to the research I hate myself.) Tinsel is a German invention. It was invented in Nuremburg, Germany around 1610 and originally used to decorate statues so there's your useless trivia for the day. Thanks, Wikipedia!

 _Du bist so dumm wie Bohnenstroh_ means "You are as dumb as a bean straw." German idioms are hilarious. Maybe American ones sound just as funny to non-Americans, I don't know, but I do like the German ones I've seen. And apparently the auto-translate function in Edgeworth's head is always running. _  
_

By the time of WWII, there were a few more requirements to be a soldier. In the Civil War, for example, you could join the battle if you met two qualifications: upright and breathing. But in WWII they had things like medical exams that you had to pass, though you an still find stories of people who had some medical condition and managed to bypass that and join the fight anyway. Rheumatic fever is a complication of strep throat and can affect the heart as well as other areas of the body. It's caused by the same bacteria that causes strep throat, which became less of a problem when penicillin became common. (Incidentally, penicillin was rationed during the war, too.) Since my cannon for this story is that Apollo was in an orphanage from about the age 9 until Phoenix comes along six years later, at some point in those six years, Apollo had strep throat, which devolved from there in rheumatic fever. So...for all of those who thought Apollo was going to go to war, he's not. (Although I have this alternate idea where both Apollo and Klavier wind up going to war on opposite sides and Ema's working on the front as well...I have a lot of AU ideas from of this AU story.) So...I hope those of you who were wondering if Apollo was going to go to war or not weren't too let down.

This chapter is named after the Lady Antebellum song. This chapter was pretty significant to me because "Compass" was the working title for the story. It got a title change and became "Certain Demolitions" just before I officially posted it. And now we know where Klavier got his copy of the Shoulder Shrug, too. Because "The Book Thief" is partially responsible for the fact that I'm writing this story, "The Shoulder Shrug" will be reappearing from time to time.

Because Chapter 19 is very short, I'm going to try and post that one today as well, and then we cane get the year 1941 all wrapped up. If you have any questions, let me know. If not, See you next chapter.

Please review!


	19. Toward the Close of the Year

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **[A/N:** ] I double posted chapters again today so please make sure you've read chapter 18 or this one will be a little confusing.

* * *

 **Chapter 19: Toward the Close of the Year**

 _Christmas Day_

 _December 1941_

"I came over early to help cook and you wouldn't let me Nick. That doesn't seem fair." Larry complained.

"We had it all under control." Phoenix replies calmly. It's Christmas, so he's trying to be nice.

Not everyone is, though. "And anyway," Apollo adds acerbically. "No one wants to get food poisoning from Christmas dinner."

Phoenix shoots a look at Apollo that clearly tells him to be nice. Apollo shrugged and went back to sipping his eggnog.

Trucy was sitting by the Christmas tree, looking at the new magical supplies she had received that morning. Her eggnog had nothing extra added to it. Lana and Edgeworth were sitting side by side on the couch, sipping eggnog that had been spiked with liquor. Phoenix was on the other end of the couch, with grape juice. Ema was curled up in the armchair with her own glass of eggnog. Apollo was sitting on the floor, using the armchair as a backrest. Klavier was sitting on the hearth, his drink next to him, finagling the pegs on his guitar and periodically playing a chord to check on the sound. Larry had brought in chair from the dining room table.

"Aren't you done tuning that yet, Fop?" This time Lana was the one glaring. She gave Ema a exasperated look that clearly warned her to stop with the name calling. Ema promptly ignored it.

Klavier remained unperturbed. "Patience, Ema. You can't rush these things." He tested the chords once more. " _Perfekt_."

"Do you know 'God rest ye Merry Gentlemen'?" Lana asked.

In response, Klavier starts to play the song and they all listen in silence.

"Wonderful." Edgeworth says when Klavier is done, and they can tell he means it.

"I'd like to propose a toast." Lana said, holding up her glass of eggnog. "The New Year is fast approaching. Here's to 1942. Hopefully it'll be better."

There's a war on, so the chances of that happening are slim. But they can still hope. Edgeworth is the first to lift his glass, then Phoenix, Apollo and Ema, Klavier and Larry, and Trucy last.

"To next year." Edgeworth says, and they all drink.

They spend the rest of the afternoon sitting there, drinking eggnog and talking. When they fall silent in between topics of conversation, Klavier plays music. Sometimes it's a Christmas song he chooses; sometimes it's one that the others suggest.

The winter afternoon is short, and soon it's growing dark outside. The lights on the Christmas tree and the light in the living room shine out into night. Overhead, the stars twinkle in the clear winter sky.

 **= END 1941 =**

* * *

 **[A/N:]** Nothing much, but I kinda wanted to peek in one everyone and see what they were doing for Christmas, so short chapter here. But 1941 is over for the story! Woohoo!(It only took 19 chapters!)

I think Ema's name calling with Klavier has more to do with the fact that she likes him then that she doesn't like him. And that makes me think of Princess Bride. someone should write a Princess Bride parody with Klavier and Ema in the main roles. But who would the villain be? Damon Gant? That would be creepy...anyway.

Prohibition was, well, really dumb, but it had been repealed by the time this story starts. I don't think that Phoenix would have let Trucy drink, though, especially because he isn't drinking. I'm trying as best as I can to run on vague ages in this story so…I don't know if Ema and Apollo can drink or not…I also don't give a hoot because I find America's drinking laws downright silly. But I did look to see what I could find about the drinking age in 1941. Per Wikipedia, they would need to be 21. Oh well. Like I said, I don't like my country's drinking laws, so, back to vague age we go!

So maybe they're breaking the law here, I don't know, Edgeworth doesn't care because the author doesn't care because stupid drinking laws.

For a really cool version of "God Rest Ye Merry gentlemen" Genmills over on Youtube posted himself doing the Trans-Siberian Orchestra version and it's really cool. If you want to get an idea of what Klavier's playing might have sounded like, check that out.

Please review and I'll see you all next time...when we start 1942!


	20. The Blood-Dimmed Tide

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 20: The Blood-Dimmed Tide**

 **~1942~**

 _Departing from Munich, Germany_

It takes a long time these days to get news from overseas, so it isn't until late February that Kristoph hears anything about what had happened to his brother in America.

He finds out from Callisto when they meet on board a train. He is traveling on business, and does not ask why she is traveling. If she's smart, she won't tell him anyway, and if he doesn't know, then there's no chance that he can leak the information.

They meet in Kristoph's compartment on the train. To make sure they are not disturbed, Kristoph has paid for both sections of the compartment. Callisto is traveling on a regular ticket, but she also doesn't intend to be on the train overnight so a private space to sleep on the train isn't an issue for her.

The compartment keeps people out and the sound of the train tracks hitting the wheel beneath them helps to create noise to cover their voices, but they talk quietly just to be sure. It certainly isn't the same as meeting at Kristoph's house where they know no one is listening in.

As soon as they are both in the compartment, Callisto pulls out an envelope bearing a Swiss postmark and hands it to him. She waits while he reads it. She waits for a few minutes, anyway, then sits and looks at him, enjoying the feeling of her full grey dress and one of her more comfortable wigs. Today she was pretending to be a crazy old woman. "Your plan to send Klavier to America may have backfired now that they've declared him an Enemy Alien."

Kristoph looked up from the letter, which spanned several pages. "How wonderful. My enemies and my allies all read my mail." He said darkly, putting a hand to his glasses.

"You read all of my travel papers and know all of my identities." Callisto said. "Consider us even. And stop doing that thing with your glasses."

"I don't see how this has backfired." Kristoph said, setting the letter down. "So they took Klavier's travel documents away. So what? All it means is that he can't come back now. This may have worked out better than I ever intended."

Callisto just stares at him. "You are cold. I hope you know that. And incidentally, I don't know if Misham mentioned this in his letter, but I heard through some of my other sources that some of the people who have been declared Enemy Aliens in America have been deported back to Germany. That might hinder your plans a little."

Kristoph was scanning the letter again. "But they didn't send Klavier back. Phoenix Wright interfered. Good." He says decisively. He doesn't know who Phoenix Wright is, but he likes the man already.

Callisto leans back in her seat. "And do you have any news that the British can use?" She asked. They know she meant news about the Blitz.

"Nothing, it's still all after action reports that come across my desk." He pulls out another sheet of paper. "Hopefully they can use this instead." It's not what they've been asking for, but this information might still be of use.

Callisto tucks the sheet away into the bodice of her dress. "It'll have too. What brings you out today?"

"I'm making plans to sell the original land grant that was given to the Gavin family centuries ago. It will not be needed again." Kristoph said. "I'm going to find an agent who can handle the sale for me. I certainly can't run back and forth whenever someone wants to see it. And then I will go on further to Hammelburg on business."

"Didn't that land grant get cut down a few times over the centuries?"

"It did. It won't anymore unless the new owners subdivide it. I'm done with it. It's getting sold."

Kristoph goes back to reading the rest of the letter. Callisto puts her chin in her hand and stares out the window. She does like the privacy in the compartment better than sitting in the main car.

The sound of the tracks under the wheels starts to slow as they approach a small station. The train pulls into the station. Callisto gasps and Kristoph looks up. "What?" He demands.

She points out the window. "Look!"

The platform across from them is crowded with people, if the figures standing there can be called such. They look like ghosts, thin and worn, dressed in plain uniforms and flanked by armed guards. The collection is a group of wretches, worn, weary, and starved. The train pulls through the station and comes to a stop. But the people are on the other side of the station, waiting for a train that will come in on the other track.

While they sit there, waiting for their train to start moving again, they watch the mass of humanity until a train pulls in on the other track and blocks their view.

Callisto turns to Kristoph. She looks appalled, which is strange for a woman who can laugh anything off, and even Kristoph, who has made it a practice these days to be shocked by nothing, looks perplexed. He looked at her, and she asked, "What madness has your country dreamed up now?"

* * *

It's a question that he remembers later, when he's back home.

Kristoph has barely been home a day, and he intends to use the time he has left in his leave from work to get his own business caught up as much as he can, even though he knows as he looks at the stack of correspondence on his desk that he's probably going to be working for half the night. He is not looking forward to it. Kristoph has tried to keep up by working when he comes home from the war office, but it isn't always possible, either because things at the office keep him busy late into the night or because he stays at the office late to avoid something going on at home, like a military parade.

Late nights at the office also make it easier for him to walk out with information that the countries fighting against Germany might find helpful.

Today he has a full day before he's expected back in the communications office, and he intends to make the best of it.

Kristoph has barely started when he hears the sound of the door gong. With an exasperated sigh he sets his pen down and goes to see who is at his door. He suspects it's going to be Mander.

Kristoph opens the door and discovers that his guess is completely correct.

It's extremely irritating.

 _Don't I see you enough at the office?_ Kristoph thinks, putting a hand to his glasses subconsciously. "Lieutenant. Please, come in." Mander isn't even at the office all the time, but he's there enough to get in Kristoph's way.

Mander pushes past him and enters the house. "I see you're back, Herr Gavin. I hope you had a good trip."

"I did. What brings you around? I'm sure that you have many things to attend to so I can't imagine this is a social call." Kristoph says.

Mander is wandering the entrance way, looking at the various objects on display. "I realized yesterday that since you've been gone, you might miss the parade today, and I wanted to let you know about it."

 _Great_ , Kristoph thinks. _Another military parade_. He'd started leaving the Nazi flag up rather then have to be bothered to take it down and put it back up over and over again. He puts on his best smile. "Another military parade? Why, that's hardly a surprise."

Mander gives him a very thin smile in response. "It's not a military parade. It's not taking place tonight. It's taking place," He pauses to check his watch. "In two minutes. I saw on my way in that you have a room in this house with a view of the street out front. Let us go there, hmm?"

Kristoph moves past Mander, who follows him through a side door and down a hall full of closed doors. Kristoph thinks he knows which room the other man is referring too, and stops in front of one of the closed doors. This wing has been closed up since before Kristoph was born, an austerity leftover from long ago. But Kristoph produces the key that fits all of the door locks in the house, opens the door, and they go in.

Inside the only light comes from that large window that looks out, as Mander had noted, towards the street. The furniture is shrouded under sheets, and the footsteps of the two men leave tracks in the layer of dust on the floor. The room is only a little warmer then the outdoors in February; no heat makes it in. The breeze outside occasionally blows the red end of the flag that hangs by the front door into view.

"Perfect." Mander says, rubbing his hands together. There's a gleam in the other man's dark eyes that Kristoph doesn't think he likes. "I want you to see, Herr Gavin, what we are doing with enemies of the third Reich."

"They're being deported, aren't they?" Kristoph asks indifferently. There had been a great deal of back on forth on whether or not people the party decides it doesn't like will be allowed to leave or not. Sometimes they are allowed to leave, sometimes they aren't.

"They are certainly all being removed." Mander said. "Those who would hold us back from victory will no longer interfere."

Kristoph watches as down the street comes a parade of the same tired, miserable wretches he saw on the train platform a few days ago, and Callisto's question comes back to his mind. "What madness has your country dreamed up now?"

"Jews, Communists, the disabled, the refuse of humanity that would hold us back have no places in this glorious Reich." Mander gloats. "We will remove these impure elements once and for all!"

"Remove?" The word pops into Kristoph's mind, and he spits it out without thinking.

"Exterminate. Destroy. A final solution to the problems that have plagued this country." Mander said with a wide grin.

Kristoph was not, by any definition of the phrase, a nice person. The only person he could credibly be accused of caring about was Klavier, and even Klavier would have occasionally contested that description. Kristoph has been known to ruin the lives of people who get in his way, and he's been accused of at least one case of poisoning, all of which he's managed to keep Klavier from ever hearing about by dint of sending his younger brother out of the country, frequently, and sometimes against his younger brother's will.

But watching these people be marched down the street, towards their own deaths, is too much for Kristoph.

Some things sicken even jackals.

When the guards have cleared the last stragglers from the street, Mander turns away from the window and smiles broadly at Kristoph. "I should be going, but since I knew you lived here, I thought you needed to know. It's a glorious day for the Reich! Heil Hitler!" he said, and saluted.

"Heil Hitler," Kristoph said, the response automatic. He didn't salute, but Mander didn't notice, instead turning and going back the way he'd come.

The sound of the front door closing jolted Kristoph back to awareness. He turned to one of the chairs in the room and sat down heavily, heedless of the fact that it was still covered and dusty.

And in his mind he hears Callisto's question again.

"What madness has your country dreamed up now?"

* * *

 **[A/N:]** In 1942 the Holocaust kicked off in earnest in Germany. There had been some form of organized extermination going on for a while leaning up to this – that's how Heidi's brother died.

Remember how a few chapters ago I mentioned an incident Klavier went through as being one of three scenes I wanted to write and that drove me to start writing this story? This is scene number two of the three. I want to put Kristoph up against some bigger monsters and see how he reacted. "Some things sicken even jackals" is a line from Terry Pratchett's "Witches Abroad" but it came to mind when I asked myself 'What would Kristoph's reaction to the Holocaust be?' so I used it here.

The storytelling will be different now. A lot more time skips, because the word count is astronomical on this fic already and if I try and deal with every incident in the war and how it affects the Wright family this story will just get longer and longer. (And we're up to 40k words already...if this wasn't a Fanfiction I'd be looking for a publisher by now. It's already the longest story I've written, chapter-wise.)

Chapter title comes, again, from "The Second Coming."

Please review!

 **EDIT:** So I forgot to add some notes earlier that are kind of important for this chapter.

When I was trying to find a city in Germany that the Gavins would be from, I picked a place via Googling a map of Germany in this particular time period and looking for a city that I recognized that was not Berlin, and preferably some distance from Berlin. Munich was the first place I found so that's what I went with. I found out as I was researching the story that the first concentration camp, Dachau, is located very close to Munich. The prisoners who are being marched through Munich in this scene are on their way to Dachau. I'm pretty sure that whole scene in the second half of this chapter was actually inspired by the Book Thief.

Munich also has the dubious honor of being the place where Adolf Hitler first rose to political prominence. And the White Rose, a student resistance group that opposed Nazism, was active in Munich University which I think has already been mentioned elsewhere in this story.

Alright. I think that's all the notes that were supposed to be here. Please review.


	21. A Still in the Streets

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 21: A Still In the Street**

By the end of the winter it has become obvious that no one in town is going to hire Klavier. The news of his being labeled an Enemy Alien has made its way around town.

Edgeworth just sighed when he heard from Phoenix that Klavier had spent all winter trying to find work. It was the end of March, and they were sitting in Edgeworth's office at the courthouse after a trial had ended. "The problem with rumors is that once they start, they don't really stop. And they are impossible to track down."

Phoenix fiddles with a paperweight on the other man's desk. "Would you prosecute rumors if you could find who was spreading them?"

"No, prosecution would be going too far. Public shaming, maybe, but not prosecution." Edgeworth said, rubbing his eyes as he looked up from the papers he was trying to review. It's been a long few days for both of them with this trial and they're both tired.

Phoenix leans back in the chair and closes his eyes. His back is sore; he hadn't realized until it was over how stiffly he'd been standing at the bench. "There is one thing he's been able to do, though. He's playing his guitar at the Borscht Bowl Club on the weekends."

"Really?" Edgeworth asked.

"Yes."

Edgeworth considered it. "I wouldn't have thought of him playing there. The clientele is …"

"Rough?" There had been a lot of prosecutions of the last set of locals that used to inhabit the place, raising the bar for patrons from local small-time criminals to the lower end of the local factory workers.

"Riff-raff. And maybe it's my experience from living overseas but I am not sure what music he could play that they would like." Edgeworth finished.

"He's been learning a lot of the more popular ones, actually." Phoenix said. "He's learning them from the radio. It's kind of neat. He has to hear the song a few times to figure out the chords, but he's pretty good at doing it."

"Interesting." Edgeworth said. He pushed the papers away. "I'll review these later. Are you ready to leave, Wright?"

"Whenever you are. You're coming over for dinner tonight, right?"

"Of course."

~xXx~

"Get back here!" Ema shouted, but the dog darted into a shrub and without thinking, Ema went in after it. "Pess! This is not funny! Come here now! Pess! Pess!"

Klavier Gavin had been walking to town when he heard the shouting, and paused to see what was going on. The sun was already set, and the moon was shedding light on the planet below, filling in the gaps of darkness between the streetlights. He paused when saw someone sticking half out of a bush along the sidewalk, and based on the shouting he had just heard, he thought he knew who it was. "Fraulein Ema?"

She popped back out of the bush and stood up, looking shocked. "What…what are you doing here?" Ema asked, her breath fogging in the chilly air. She realized suddenly that there were twigs in her hair, and one in the sleeve of her coat. _And of course,_ he _looks perfect as usual_. She hastily yanked the sticks out and tossed them away.

"I was walking to town." Klavier said, and Ema saw that he had his guitar with him. This time, though, he wasn't carrying it. Instead he had rigged up a harness and was carrying it on his back. She could see part of the straps for the case where they covered the buttons on his purple trench coat, and the top of the case stuck out above his head. "What are you doing?"

"I am walking Pess." She turned back to the shrub. "Or I was walking Pess. She got away."

Pess choose that moment to pop her head back through the bush to see who was standing there, and Ema lunged out and grabbed the dog. "Gotchya!" She said, grabbing the end of the leash that was still attached to the dog's frilly collar. "Bad dog."

"You never mentioned you had a dog." Klavier said.

"We don't. This is Prosecutor Edgeworth's dog Pess. Lana offered to watch her while Prosecutor Edgeworth was working on a big trial this week." Ema told him, tugging a reluctant Pess the rest of the way out of the shrubs. "Now we're going to go home."

"Alright. I will walk you there."

"I don't need to be walked there but thank you anyway." Ema said, but she knew he wasn't going to leave. "Won't you be late to wherever you're going?"

"Not at all. Besides your house is on the way to my destination."

"Oh, really? Where are you going?" Ema said, setting off down the sidewalk. Klavier followed her. Pess excitedly went in front of both of them, her nose to the ground.

"The Borscht Bowl."

"Kind of seedy. I take it you're playing music there?"

"Ja."

"Are you still teaching Trucy how to play?"

"Nein, she stopped when her fingers started to bleed. She said that having fingers that were bleeding made it harder to do her magic."

Ema made a face. "Playing guitar makes your fingers bleed?"

"Only in the beginning."

"Ema!" Another voice called, and a girl with long black hair and dressed in a pink shirt and a blue scarf and slacks appeared. She wore a key as a hairpin in a her tall ponytail. "Ema! There you are! Lana was starting to wonder where you were." She said, then she noticed Klavier. "Oh." She gave Ema a sly grin. "But I can always go and pretend I didn't find you."

"No!" Ema exclaimed, grabbing Kay by her scarf as she turned away. "Nothing is happening Kay. I was just walking Pess and she ran away."

"So, who's your friend?" Kay asked.

"Kay Faraday, Klavier Gavin. Klavier Gavin, Kay Faraday." Ema said. "Everyone know each other now?"

"Hey!" Kay said, her eyes growing wide. She pointed at Klavier. "You're the guy Ema was always talking about when she came home!"

"Kay!" Ema wailed. Then she elbowed Klavier, who was grinning at her. "And you. Wipe that smile off your face."

"Anyway, Ema." Kay said, shifting her weight. "Lana wanted me to come find you 'cause Mr. Edgeworth is over and he's wondering where his dog is and …what is Pess rolling in?"

"Pess! Bad dog!" Ema said, yanking on the leash. "She's been acting up all week, probably because she hasn't seen Prosecutor Edgeworth in so long and she doesn't like it. We were going home."

"Indeed, you have perfect timing, Fraulein Kay. I was just walking Ema home. I'll walk you both home." Klavier offered.

Kay giggled. Ema grabbed her arm. "Thank you, Klavier. But, it's a small town, and we'll be fine."

"Anyway," Kay grinned. "We need to compare notes. It was nice meeting you, Klavier." She waved goodbye as Ema dragged her away.

"Kay, I'm going to strangle you." Ema hissed, glancing behind her to make sure they were far enough away that Klavier couldn't hear. He was continuing to follow them down the sidewalk at a more leisurely pace. Ema was hurrying both Kay and Pess along to stay as far ahead of him as she could. "I was complaining about him and he doesn't need to know that."

"The first time you came back from college, you wouldn't shut up about him, and it was only half complaining." Kay protested.

"Kay!"

"Well it was." Kay said unapologetically. They arrived at the house just then, courtesy of Ema speed-walking them. Edgeworth's car was parked in front of the house. "Anyway, he's really easy on the eyes, so I don't know what you're complaining about."

"Listen, Kay, you don't need to share that with him." Ema fumed. She put a hand to the door, then paused and looked back up the street. Klavier was still strolling down the street. Ema frowned, and handed Pess's leash to Kay. "Here, take Pess in, will you?"

"You going back to talk to Klavier?" Kay asked.

"Yes," Ema admitted. "Don't laugh about it either."

"Never." Kay said. She took the leash. "Come along Pess." She opened the door and Pess raced inside, having already picked up Edgeworth's scent.

Ema turned and stomped back up the street, feeling irate with herself for what she was doing and guilty for what she had done. In her mind's eye she could see Klavier looking at the ceiling after Trucy's rejoicing when Apollo had walked through the door while they decorated the tree and announced that he would not be joining the military. She hadn't seen his face, but she thought she knew his reaction.

 _He has a brother left in Germany._ _How would I feel if Lana was one country and I was in another and there was a war going on that was keeping us apart?_ But she doesn't have time to think about that much longer, because she's caught up with Klavier.

"You came back, Fraulein" He said.

"I did. Listen, I'm sorry for what Kay said."

"Never mind it. It's fine." Klavier said. "She didn't bother me."

"There's something I want to ask you." Ema said. "You have family in Germany. But you haven't tried to go back. Why?"

He didn't say anything, and Ema began to think that she had offended him. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I wasn't trying to offend you."

"You do not offend me, Fraulein." Klavier said, but he was frowning. "Kristoph, my brother, said something to me as I was leaving."

"And…that's what made you decide to stay?"

" _Ja_."

They arrived at Ema's house just then. "I'd better go in. But, Klavier, what did he say to you?"

"Someday I might tell you, Ema. But not tonight. _Gute Nacht_." He said, then moved past her and went on his way.

Ema watched him go, then went into the house.

Kay was sitting in the easy chair, rocking back and forth absently. Edgeworth and Lana were sitting on the couch. Pess was lying on the floor, pressed against Edgeworth's legs and looking up at him adoringly. Ema took a seat on the footstool near Kay's chair and held her chin in her hands. Then she decided to ask Edgeworth a question.

"Hey Mr. Edgeworth, do you think Klavier's going to get sent to war since he's been declared an Enemy Alien?"

"I doubt it. He's got a lot of movement restrictions on him. Plus he hasn't registered for the draft." Edgeworth said, sipping his cup of tea. "Why do you ask?"

"I was just curious." Ema said.

"Is he going to join the Army?" Kay asked curiously. She only knew a little bit of the story from her visits with Ema, as she lived out of town.

"He could if he wanted, I suppose. I would prefer it if he would just keep a low profile for the time being. I don't know who started the rumors about him, but Blaise Debeste is always up for a bad idea. He doesn't need any more of them." Edgeworth replied. "Why?"

"Just curious." Ema repeated, looking out the window at the darkness outside, and wondering what it was like for Klavier at the Borscht Bowl. Playing in a small town like this was nothing like playing in a big city, she was certain.

But the lonely moon outside the window looked back at her, unfeeling.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** While I presume that Klavier can read music, learning a song by hearing it...I know lots of people who play instruments based on having heard the song and then sitting down and figuring out the notes on their instrument. It was actually how I learned to play on the recorder, and how I corrected my ocarina music when I played it through and discovered that the music didn't actually have all the notes in the song on it.

I changed Kay's appearance just a little, mostly because I don't see her as the kind of person who would have the patience to sit and paint her stockings on. She gets slacks for now. And she keeps her hairpin, because I think it's a super cool hairpin.

And Pess is here too because I like the idea of Edgeworth having a dog. The song title comes from the song Crossfire again.

Any questions, please let me know.

Reviews are appreciated.


	22. Flashback: The Sun and the Moon

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **[A/N:]** In an attempt to bring the flashbacks up to speed and lay some groundwork for potential plot threads I might need later, this chapter, is a whole-chapter flashback. Just an FYI.

And I double posted again, so please be sure to read (and review!) both 21 and 22.

* * *

 **Chapter 22: Flashback: The Sun and the Moon**

 _Munich, Germany_

 _Spring 1941_

Hans von Metz looked at his son. "I …am not sure that I understand the problem here."

Franz von Metz had been pacing around his father's study. Now he stopped in front of his father's desk. "Your daughter is cavorting with that swine Klavier Gavin."

Hans paused and thought it over. He sometimes had trouble telling the two Gavins apart, but he was pretty sure that Klavier was the younger of the two brothers. He thought about it some more. Klavier was still entitled to some part of the Gavin family fortune, wasn't he? Kristoph Gavin had worked hard to shore up his family's fortune during the Weimar republic and had done a pretty good job of it, too. And if Kristoph never married, and so far he had shown no interest in that field, then everything would pass to Klavier.

Hans von Metz had not been as fortunate as Kristoph when it came to saving the family fortune. Inflation had sorely depleted the von Metz coffers, and Hans had eight children to care for. Three of his sons had joined the Nazi party and gotten involved in the war effort, which had helped on the financial side. Another son had died, which was unfortunate. This still left him four children who were dependent on him. He had been hoping to find a situation for Heidi; preferably in needlework in a dress shop or something. She had done a remarkable job on dresses she had whipped up for herself and her mother for Frau Abitz' last Winter Ball.

Or she could just get married to someone who had money. Hans was okay with that too.

"First of all, I hardly know the young man but I still feel like it is unfair of you to call him names. After all, the Gavin family name is as old and distinguished as the von Metz name. Your sister will suffer no loss if she takes it up. Second, I don't understand your objection to this. So he is courting Heidi. So what? I would think you would be glad for your sister."

"He isn't a Nazi! That man shouldn't be allowed near her!"

Hans considered pointing out that he wasn't a Nazi either, and he was her father. But he didn't think Franz would like it. "I think you're being unreasonable. And if your qualifications for who can court your sister are based on whether or not they're a Nazi, then she'll have to be a spinster. She didn't like any of your friends from the Party. Besides, I think it would be good for her to get married. Marriage has a way of way of settling a woman down."

"I promise nothing will settle her down." Franz said, giving his father a scathing glance as he stormed out of the room.

(-)

He went straight to the Gavin house next, and was banging on the front door when he heard a voice behind him. "If Klavier is in the library, he can't hear you, and I'm not in my office, so…stop banging on the door."

Franz turned to see Kristoph Gavin coming up the walkway that led to the door, a telegram envelope in hand. "In addition, that little button near the door handle is attached to a gong that rings on the inside of the house, in case you actually want someone to know you're here while I'm in my study and Klavier is in the library."

Franz did not look happy with him. "Do you know who I am?"

"Franz von Metz." Kristoph said, without hesitation. "What I don't know is why you're here."

"I'm here because your brother is courting my sister."

Kristoph looked bored. "And this concerns me because…?"

"Because I expect him to stop." Franz said.

Kristoph crossed his arms over his chest. "Why is this any of your concern? And why are you trying to make it my problem? No, wait, don't answer." Kristoph said, cutting the other man off just as he opened his mouth. "Whatever it is you're going to say, I'm not interested. You take your grievance up with Klavier. I am not getting involved."

"I have taken it up with him." Franz spat as Kristoph walked past him to the door and opened it. Franz followed the other man inside. "He didn't listen and he assaulted a Nazi officer."

Kristoph adjusted his glasses. _He's not very good committing assault. You're still alive._ He does not say this. Instead he says, "The fact that my little brother managed to walk all over you is still no concern of mine. You can take your bruised ego elsewhere, and if you're concerned about who your sister is seeing, I suggest you take that up with her."

A fleeting look crossed Franz's face and was gone, but Kristoph had seen it and been given an insight. "Oh, you have talked to her. I see. And it hasn't worked, so you've come here instead."

(-)

Meanwhile, upstairs, Klavier was holding an envelope of forged documents between his teeth while he tried to work the window in his room that was nearest the tree back up. The window was sticking again; he was going to have to have to fix that.

He finally got it open wide enough that he could climb in. As soon as his feet were back on the floor he took the envelope out of his mouth and tried to think of a place where he could hide it until later in the evening. Elg had gotten done with time to spare, but not much time.

And the last money that Klavier had left over from his time at school was gone, which meant next time Elg needed money he was going to be hard-pressed to pay unless he could find a job. Of course, he could ask Kristoph for more money, but he didn't really want to. And the less Kristoph knew what he was doing, the better. So, a job it was.

Klavier finally gave up and put the packet in the pocket of his coat. It wasn't a good place to keep it, but it wasn't like he was going to need to keep it for long. He opened the door to his room a little and listened. Kristoph was talking to someone downstairs; he could hear the faint echoes of conversation.

He turned back around and picked up his coat, pulling the envelope back out and tucking it under some books on his desk. They were just reading books, so it was unlikely that Kristoph would go through them. Then he picked up his coat and sunglasses again and went into the hallway. If Kristoph and his guest end up going to the small parlor off the entryway, this will be a perfect opportunity to go out. He doesn't need to go out the window this time; he figured if he wanted to find a job he needed people to know what he was doing.

Klavier left his room just as Kristoph was coming back up the stairs, having finally ejected the unwanted visitor. The elder Gavin paused when he saw Klavier. "Where do you think you are going?" Kristoph demanded, his irritation with Franz making him short with his brother.

There was no help for it now. "I am going to look for work." Klavier announced.

Kristoph reacted faster than Klavier could have expected, lunging out and clamping his right hand around Klavier's forearm tightly. "You are supposed to be studying!" He hissed.

Klavier jumped back, but wasn't able to pull free. He glared at Kristoph. "I finished studying all the books I brought back from the school in France before Christmas came last year! What do you want me to do, re-read them?"

"I do not want you working!"

"I need the money."

Kristoph frowned. "To the library, Klavier." He said, but he did not let go of Klavier and instead was dragging him towards the room.

"You can't tell me what to do." Klavier retorted angrily. "I am not a child!"

"You are not a child, true, but you are going to listen to me." Kristoph said, his tone icy. "Franz von Metz came by this morning. He's upset about the fact that you are apparently seeing his sister."

"It's not what you think."

"I don't want to know anything about what you are doing." Kristoph said, pushing the library door open and dragging his younger brother into the room. "I want you to be more discreet in whatever you are doing so that I don't have to entertain any more visits from Franz von Metz. And I _do not want you looking for work_!"

"Then what do you want me to do?" Klavier demanded.

It was a fair question, Kristoph realized. He should have known that the school work that Klavier had brought back from France wouldn't keep him busy. His little brother had always been a fast learner. But he couldn't have Klavier looking for work, either. That would get back to Lt. Mander in a hurry.

Kristoph paused in the middle of the library, still keeping a grip on his little brother. He adjusted his glasses and considered the situation. Then he released Klavier and turned to face him. "You are not going to find a job."

Klavier looked exasperated. "I need the- "

"I will get you the money." Kristoph cut him off. He took a deep breath.

"If you are going to give me the inflation speech, I have it memorized." Klavier said flatly.

"Well recite it to yourself a couple of times." Kristoph said. He strode over to the bookshelves and Klavier watched as he walked around pulling out different books. He came back with a stack of books that Klavier recognized as his older brother's old law textbooks. Kristoph dropped the stack down on the table closest to Klavier. "And since you won't be working, you can start studying those."

Klavier expected that Kristoph would leave, but he doesn't. Not until Klavier takes off his coat and slips his sunglasses into his coat pocket. He tosses the garment over a chair, and Kristoph picks it up and takes it with him when he leaves.

He knows the coat will end up in his room, and that as far as Kristoph is concerned, the discussion is over. Klavier blows out an exasperated breath and picks up one of the law books.

He feels bad for thinking it, since Kristoph is the only family he has left, but sometimes Klavier doesn't like his brother very much.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** So...I wasn't going to double post, but then I discovered that when I uploaded Chapter 22, I accidentally mislabeled it in my document manager as Chapter 21. This caused quite a bit of confusion (In my defense, this is already the longest story I've ever written and we're still not done.) I couldn't figure out why Chapter 22 said Chapter 21. Well, now I know what the problem was. So here, have a double helping tonight. Then I can just clean out my document manager and go from there.

It's okay not to like your brother sometimes Klavier. It really is. Since in-game Klavier became a prosecutor at 17, I figure he would have to be a quick learner, probably skipping a couple of grades.

Kristoph's apparently not using his cane in this chapter, but I suspect he will be now that he's dragged Klavier around. Oh well. This is a stand-alone flashback, and Chapter 23 will be something different. And I seriously don't know what Franz's problem is other "Klavier's not a Nazi." That's his one genuine hang up. I feel like if Klavier had been a Nazi, he wouldn't say a thing about the fact that Heidi and Klavier are seeing each other (or so he thinks.)

This whole sun-and-moon thing came from Frau Dreier's dry observation (read: her nicknames) on the fact that Kristoph and Klavier are as different from each other as night and day, and now it's become a theme for the pair in this story.

If you would review both Chapter 21 and 22, it would be greatly appreciated.


	23. Vegetables for Victory

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 23: Vegetables for Victory**

 _Spring, 1942_

Klavier was checking the roast in the oven when Trucy came bounding into the house, and bounces gently but excitedly on her feet in front of him.

"What is it Trucy?" Klavier asked, closing the oven door. Phoenix had brought home a truly poor cut of beef a week ago, due what Larry had later and correctly shared was a panic over the initial sugar rationing in town. This panic had led to people buying up other items in anticipation of rationing that had then proceeded to not happen.

When Phoenix had brought the meat home, all four of them had inspected it.

"I have no idea how to use this," Apollo admitted, pressing a hand to his forehead.

"It was all that was left," Phoenix admitted. Trucy just shrugged.

"I can do something with it," Klavier said. "But if you wanted to have it tonight, you should have bought it a week ago."

"We're eating meatless tonight then." Phoenix announced, then said, "Do the best you can with it, Klavier."

That had been a week ago, and the beef had been marinating ever since.

"I think we need to put in a Victory Garden!" Trucy announced. "I heard all about them at school! I'm sure Daddy would be okay with it. I'm going to go outside and mark the spot where we should put it!"

" _In Ordung_."

Trucy bounced out of the kitchen and through the back door.

An hour later, Phoenix arrived home, with Lana and Edgeworth in tow. "I didn't mean to spring extra guests on you, Klavier, but Edgeworth heard you were making some German dish. I'm sorry, I forgot the name of it, even though you told me. So he came, and then Lana heard, and she came too, and Ema will be over later."

"I don't mind." Klavier said. "And it's sauerbraten."

"I haven't eaten sauerbraten since I left Germany." Edgeworth said, taking a seat at the table.

"I hope it meets your expectations," Klavier said, then told Phoenix, "Also, Trucy is out back marking out the yard for a Victory Garden."

"Okay, that's a good idea," Phoenix said, and then he happened to look out the window. "Uh…did she say how much of the backyard she was marking out?"

"Nein," Klavier replied, giving him a curious look. "Why?"

"Umm, nothing, I'm just going to go out back and ask Trucy why she's marking out the whole yard," Phoenix sounded slightly concerned. "I'd like to still have trees in the backyard after the war is over." He added as he darted out the back door.

"My sister always used to make potato pancakes to go with Sauerbraten." Edgeworth said.

"Really?" Lana asked, sounding interested. "What are those like?"

"They are delicious, and traditionally they are served with sauerbraten." Klavier said, coming over to join them at the table.

"Well, they are traditionally served with sauerbraten, but the way my sister makes them they are not delicious. They are inedible." Edgeworth said.

"Really?" Lana repeated.

"Franziska has many talents. Cooking is not one of them." Edgeworth told her.

The back door opened and Phoenix reappeared with Trucy. She was still talking as they came in. "And whatever we grow doesn't have to be rationed! I think we should grow all sorts of things."

"I think a garden is a good idea. We'll talk about it later, okay?" Phoenix said as they entered the house.

"Lana! Uncle Miles! I didn't know you were coming over!" Trucy exclaimed when she saw them. "I'm glad you're here, though."

"Hello Trucy." Edge worth said.

"Is Ema coming too?" Trucy asked Lana.

"She is. She'll be by when she's done with work," Lana said.

"Good. I want to talk to her about the Victory garden," Trucy said.

(-)

After dinner that evening the group sat in the living room and discussed the day.

Trucy was excited about being able to put in a garden and was already putting together plans for what she wanted to put in and where.

Apollo was sitting on the floor with Trucy, and was watching over her shoulder as she marked out on her paper where the different vegetables were going to go. "You're putting in enough vegetables to feed the whole neighborhood."

"It won't go as far as you think." Phoenix said from where he was sitting on the couch. _Especially since we're not tearing up the whole backyard._

"Well, we have to have enough for everyone." Trucy said. "And that's you, and me, Klavier and Daddy, Lana and Ema, Uncle Miles and Uncle Larry. So we're going to need a lot of food."

"Fair enough." Apollo conceded. Lana and Ema were both working, and Edgeworth worked too so that would make it harder for them to garden.

"Don't you have to be able to preserve this stuff, too?" Ema asked.

"I can teach you how to can food." Lana offered. "I've done it before."

"Thanks, Lana!" Trucy exclaimed.

"And we can store root vegetables downstairs." Phoenix said. "It stays pretty cool down there in the winter."

Apollo was looking at the list of vegetables. "Just because you can grow something, doesn't mean you need too, Trucy."

"Why, what do you think we should take off the list?" Trucy asked.

"Cabbage!" Apollo said, pointing out the word on the sheet. "How do you expect to preserve that?"

"I can think of a way to do it, but you won't like it." Klavier told him.

Apollo took one look at the grin on the German's face. "You're right. I don't like it one bit."

"What are you talking about?" Trucy asked.

"Sauerkraut." Apollo grumbled.

"You can make sauerkraut? Where did you learn that?" Ema asked.

"Kristoph never believed in paying someone to for us what we could do ourselves."

"Your brother taught you a lot." Ema said.

"My brother raised me after my mother died." Klavier admitted nonchalantly. "So yes, he did teach me a lot."

"What did your mother die of?" Lana asked.

"Consumption." Klavier replied.

There was a lull in the conversation, and then Lana spoke again. "I think there are some old canning jars up in our attic. I'll have to look when we get home."

"Will those still work?" Trucy asked.

"Of course they will. They'll need to be cleaned, but there's nothing else wrong with them." Lana said. "When we get them cleaned up we'll bring them over."

Trucy was starting to bounce excitedly again, even though she was sitting on the floor. "I can't wait to get started on the garden!"

* * *

~xXx~

* * *

 _Munich, Germany_

 _Summer, 1941_

Klavier is sitting in the library, reading The Shoulder Shrug, when the door opens and Kristoph drags a wooden trunk in and drops it on the floor. Klavier looks up from his book.

"I have good news." Kristoph announced. "You've been accepted to attend college in America."

He tells Klavier the name of the school. Klavier frowns. This is a new one. "I don't recall applying to that school. In fact, I don't recall applying to any American schools. Munich University isn't that far away." And Kristoph went there, all the books he'd given Klavier were from there. Why all of a sudden would he be trying to send Klavier to America to go to college there?

"Well you weren't accepted there, you were accepted in America. Think of the wonderful experiences you'll have over in the United States." Kristoph told him. He tapped the lid of the trunk. "Now go start packing."

Klavier is about to point out that he hadn't applied to either university so his being accepted anywhere was a quite a trick – Kristoph's trick, no doubt - but Kristoph is already leaving. Klavier looks at the trunk and frowns again.

He ends up dragging it to his room, more to get it out of the library than anything else. Once it's in his room, in the middle of the floor, he sits on it and tries to think.

There's a war on, and Kristoph wants him to leave the country to go to the other side of the world.

They don't always get along, but they are the only family the other has anymore, and Klavier isn't about to leave his brother alone in the middle of the war. Kristoph is already half crippled from the last war, and it had been over by the time the incident that made Kristoph a cripple happened.

And in that moment, Klavier decides that he's tired of Kristoph telling him what to do.

"I am not going to America."

(-)

"He wants you to go to America? Why?" Heidi asked, confused.

"He thinks that because he's my big brother he can continue to treat me like I'm a child." Klavier replied nonchalantly as they walked down the street.

The building they are trying to reach isn't deserted, though when viewed from the street it certainly seems that way. It's being used as a hideaway for more Jews is beside the point. Hidden somewhere in her dress, Heidi is carrying more forged identity papers, purchased from Elg with the money Kristoph had given to Klavier.

"And he can think whatever he wants, but I have no intention of going to America."

Heidi frowns. She doesn't know Kristoph Gavin very well; only as a neighbor and Klavier's older brother. But something about Kristoph makes her think that this is going to be a very interesting battle of wills.

"I have enough work to do here." Klavier said. "We have enough work to do here. Why leave?"

"I hope you can get your brother to see reason." Heidi said with a frown as she thought of one of her own brothers.

"I hope so too." Klavier said as they came up to the building. "But let's finish what we came here to do."

* * *

 **[A/N:]** Victory gardens were a big thing in America (and Britain) because it helped supplement the food supply and because anything you grew, as Trucy mentioned in the story, did not have to be rationed. This chapter is set in Spring of 1941, so the only thing that was rationed at this point was sugar. Phoenix would have had to go down to the rationing board which probably operated out of Trucy's school or some other centralized location in the town, and register everyone in his house, and then they would have had an allotment of so many pounds of sugar per month. Phoenix would have had to report all the sugar that they already had. In addition, the ration coupons had expiration dates on them to prevent hoarding.

People did start hoarding things and making what I will call "panic purchases." Fear of rationing and other assorted rumors did cause people to buy up products. One website I looked at mentioned that after Pearl harbor there had been a run on flashlights and batteries, and that retailers were happy when rationing finally began because when they had products in, it kept people from hoarding. Sometimes they didn't even have the products, and there was nothing that the rationing boards could do about that.

When I started researching this story, I was shocked to find out that Germany had, depending on which source I consult, either no rationing or extremely relaxed rationing up until Stalingrad. Why is Frau Abitz hosting a ball in 1940? Because she can – relaxed rationing! (Also she's a Nazi and I bet she was using that for some pull too.) In comparison, America went to war and it was scrap drives and victory gardens and "let's ration everything." Bennent's history even records this rhyme from the war: "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without." And that was how Americans lived too.

One of the things I couldn't really research but was curious about was how this actually affected Americans. The 1930s was the Great Depression after all, and the war started in the 1940s, so how hard was it really for Americans to go back to that Depression-era 'Do more with less' mindset? I don't t think it would have been a really hard change.

Alright. I think that's it. if you see any errors or have any questions, let me know. Please review!


	24. Freedom from Want

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

Chapter 24: Freedom From Want

A week later, the vegetable garden is nearly finished.

On this evening, towards the end of the week, everyone has come over to help. Phoenix has managed to convince Lotta to give them fertilizer for the garden, though she doesn't give them much, citing the fact that now it's in demand, and somehow Edgeworth convinces someone to sell him a bag of fertilizer as well.

He brings it and Pess over that evening. Lana and Ema have already been at the house that afternoon, mostly working in the kitchen until Apollo got home and relieved Klavier from garden duty. Kay is with them, having come back out to town for a visit. After dinner, they all go out back to work on the garden.

Until this time, the garden has largely been the work of Trucy and Klavier, who have the honor of being the only ones home in the afternoon. Klavier had been the one who been responsible for hoeing out the area Trucy had marked, while Trucy removed the sod and put it out of the way.

Tonight, there was so much help that neither of them was working on the garden. Trucy was off playing with Pess, while Klavier was sitting in the grass watching Apollo and Phoenix turn over the soil, mixing it with the fertilizer. Even Edgeworth helps, throwing his suit jacket off to the side and helping dump the bags of fertilizer out.

Kay and Ema end up sitting on either side of Klavier, watching the work.

"Do you think that people in Germany are planting gardens, too?" Kay asked Klavier.

"I don't know. I haven't been in Germany in nine months." He replied.

"Oh, I just wondered if your brother might be planting one too, and you were both working on the same project!"

"I don't recall telling you I had a brother." Klavier noted.

"Well, Ema told me the other day."

Klavier turned to look at her. "Do you always talk about me to your friends, Fraulein?" He asked with a grin. Ema scowled at Kay.

"What?!" Kay threw up her hands. "I just wanted to know!"

Ema didn't look any happier. Klavier went on. "I suppose we could have one, there was certainly room for it, but Kristoph won't plant anything. I don't know how he would use any gardening tools to turn the soil; he's half crippled."

Apollo, who had been listening to the conversation, paused and leaned on his shovel. He was tired and willing to take a break from work, so he asked, "How did your brother become a cripple? I don't think you ever mentioned that fact about him before."

"One of the bombs that the British dropped in Germany during the Great War went unexploded and undiscovered for a while after the War ended. My brother was nearby when it went off. He never told me exactly what happened, but his leg was twisted and pinned down by rubble from the explosion, and he was stuck there for a while until he was rescued. He walks fine most of the time, unless there's moisture in the air, or he's done too much walking. Then he needs a cane. He would never even try gardening." Klavier said. "He got a cut on his right hand that needed stitches, also, but he survived. I was told many others didn't."

"How many years are there between the two of you?" Phoenix asked, kicking a clod of dirt apart and sending a tiny shower of soil over the rest of the tilled ground.

"Eight," Klavier replied.

Pess came racing through the garden a minute later, kicking dirt onto everything and everyone.

"Pess, go lay down!" Edgeworth ordered.

The dog complied, going over to where Edgeworth's suit jacket was lying on the clean grass. She walked on top of it, leaving dirty paw prints, walked in a circle three times, and then plopped down with a sigh, keeping her eyes on Edgeworth.

"Sorry about your jacket." Phoenix said, not even bothering to hide his grin.

"I'm used to it." Edgeworth said with a shrug.

Trucy came running back over a moment later, throwing herself at Klavier's back and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Are you staying for awhile, Kay?" She asked.

"Just tonight. I'm leaving in the morning. Your garden's gonna be big, Trucy." Kay told her.

"Well there's lots of people in my family now! Like Uncle Larry, and Uncle Miles, and Ema and her sister, and my new big brother Klavier. We're gonna need lots of food!"

"What are you grinning about now?" Ema asked, noticing the look on Klavier's face.

"I get to be a big brother for a change. I enjoy it." Klavier said, getting to his feet. Trucy hadn't let go, and giggled as he stood up. She was dangling off the ground again.

"You're definitely a big brother! You're even taller than Polly!"

Apollo gave her a sour look. "Thanks, Trucy."

"Sorry, Polly, but it's true."

Edgeworth tossed the last empty bag away. "That's the last of the fertilizer." He stands back and takes in the work that's been done. "Looks like the next step, Trucy, is the planting."

"Yay!" Trucy let go of Klavier and dropped back to the ground. "I can't wait!"

They went inside, where Lana had used some of the Wright family sugar allotment and the Skye family allotment of sugar to make lemonade.

* * *

~xXx~

* * *

 _Munich, Germany_

 _Summer, 1941_

 _I love my little brother dearly which is why I will_ not _strangle him to death_. Kristoph reminded himself very firmly as he strode back to his office and slammed the door behind him. _Or let him get conscripted into the German army!_

It's been a very long half a week since Kristoph informed Klavier that he was going to school in America. If there's one thing that Kristoph does not appreciate, it's arguing with his little brother, particularly when Klavier argues like he's in a courtroom.

It has nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that Klavier's arguments are genuinely good. Really. That has nothing to do with it.

 _Heaven help me when he gets out of law school_ , Kristoph thought, taking a seat at his desk and picking up a pen. He had finally, through a combination of browbeating and bullying, managed to get Klavier to start packing.

But if this is a preview of Klavier's reactions going forward, then he's going to have to come up with a different method for first, getting Klavier out of the city of Munich, and second, getting him onto a boat that will take him to America. Kristoph set his pen down and rifled through the papers on his desk. Where was that last letter from his solicitor in Hammelburg? He remembered that he had put it in the locking drawer in his desk, pulled out his keys, and unlocked the drawer.

Sitting innocuously on top of the other letters and papers inside is the notice of conscription addressed to Klavier. Kristoph gives it a long look and promises himself he will pay Mander back for this, someday, somehow. He pulled out the document that he was looking for, slammed the drawer shut, and locked it back up.

He tried to focus his attention on his work, but he couldn't think. His mind kept coming back to the question of how to get Klavier out of the country.

And then a new thought occurs to him and he gets up from his desk and downstairs. There might be something he can do after all.

(-)

Dinner that night is a largely quiet affair at a table in an even quieter kitchen. Other then the sound of silverware clinking against plates, there is no sound.

Kristoph is the first to break the silence. "I hope you've finished packing. Something has come up. We leave for Kiel day after tomorrow."

Klavier looks up at him suspiciously. "Why are we going there?"

"I have business to take of there. And you said you needed money. Part of the accounts I've been pulling from for you are located there. So, you can come too and we'll close out those accounts."

"Why do you have accounts in Kiel?"

"Never put all of your eggs in one basket, Klavier." Kristoph said glibly. "Bring everything you've packed. I don't know how long my business there will take. It may be a week. It may be months."

Kiel is a seaport. Klavier looks at his big brother suspiciously. "Really?"

"Really. If we end up being there longer than ten days it will be time to rent an apartment. I intend to close the accounts there and divest all of the family holdings in Kiel. You might end up being tasked with finding us an apartment while I deal with those issues."

A change of pace and scenery, with his brother. Klavier wants to believe Kristoph. He really does. But why the sudden change? "And what about the college in America?"

"What about it? I thought you didn't want to go to America." Kristoph noted.

"I don't." Klavier confirmed.

"Well then?"

"You haven't packed yet," Klavier said.

"I will be packing tomorrow. I suggest you be completed by then as well. Be sure and pack what you will want if you are stuck in Kiel for several months."

(-)

"So…now you're going to Kiel?" Heidi asked. She was looking like she was starting to have trouble keeping up.

"Yes, we are going to Kiel." Klavier told her. He was sitting in the tree outside her little sisters' window again, and they were talking through the open window. "The problem is that Kristoph has no idea how long we're going to be in Kiel so he can close out the family investments there. He's talking about renting an apartment there if we're there long enough."

"It sounds like he plans to be there for awhile," Heidi said with a frown. She perched on the window ledge. "It looks like I'm going on without you, then."

"How many people did we rescue together?" Klavier asked.

"I didn't count."

"Me either."

There was a pause in the conversation, and Heidi said, "Thank you for everything."

"Don't thank me." Klavier told her. "I was happy to do it. If I come back from Kiel within a reasonable time, let's pick up where we left off in our work."

Heidi smiled and nodded as Klavier stood up, gave her a smile, and started climbing back down the tree.

Meanwhile, back at the Gavin house, as soon as he was sure that Klavier was not in the house that morning, Kristoph took his keys and took a walk.

He went through all the wings in the house, some of which were closed off before Kristoph was even born, some that were closed off later. All of the quiet, lonely rooms are filled with antique furniture covered to keep the dust off, beds that haven't been slept in in years, cupboards and drawers that have remained unopened for so long now.

Kristoph needs some items that he can put in his trunk to weight it down enough that it won't draw suspicion when it's moved. He pulls open the doors of a large closet in a dressing room attached to a large, old bedroom, and is greeted by the overwhelming scent of mothballs. No one's opened this place up in a while. He finds a dusty trunk on the floor of the closet. The other garments hanging there are simply falling apart. Though it's covered in dust, the trunk is intact. Kristoph tries some of the keys on his master ring of keys and finds that one of them fits close enough that he can get the lid open.

Inside are old tablecloths and handkerchiefs, edged in fine lace. All of the garments are yellowed with age, but he looks through them and finds that they are all intact. Nothing has been damaged. The trunk itself appears to be made of cedar.

This, Kristoph decides, will do perfectly.

When Klavier comes home that afternoon, a cedar trunk that he does not recognize is sitting in the entryway. He stops and tries the lid, but it's locked.

"Leave it alone, Klavier," He hears Kristoph behind him, and turns to see his brother standing there, leaning on his cane. "And I hope you're packed."

"I am." Klavier replied. "How did you get your trunk downstairs?"

Kristoph tapped his cane on the floor. "Slowly. And painfully. Tomorrow when the porters come they can bring yours down. We're leaving first thing in the morning."

* * *

 **[A/N:]** My mother actually hoed our first garden out when I was just a kid. It takes some time but it can be done.

Since in-game, Kristoph gets forged evidence to use against his brother in court, two suggestions occur to me. Either Kristoph went out of his way to grief Klavier during the latter's first trial, or he was concerned that Klavier could actually win against him. So…I went with the latter for this story.

Kiel is a seaport city in Germany. This chapter was named after another Norman Rockwell painting. Theoretically, the vegetable is supposed to help with being free from want. And yes, Lana and Phoenix did both contribute sugar to the lemonade. I imagine it was still less sweet then normal, though.

Apart from that, I don't have too much to say about this chapter. Please review.


	25. A Spy in Our Midst

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 25: A Spy in Our Midst**

 _Summer, 1942_

 _Germany_

Lt Mander and Kristoph Gavin do not like each, and it's not a secret.

They work well together in the office and keep their personal lives out of their jobs, but they do not get along.

Lt Mander hates Kristoph, who, though he lives frugally, has money and enough to spare. To Mander, Kristoph represents the last remnants of the German nobles who got rich off the working class. The fact that if the Weimar Republic had not happened he would have to address Kristoph by a noble title does not make him like the blond any better.

For his part, Kristoph does not appreciate Mander's belief that he was born under a lucky star. Kristoph has buried both his parents, is partially crippled, and attended college to earn a law degree while trying to hold his family's finances and business interests together in the increasingly mad Weimar Republic, and he did it all while raising his little brother. That Mander behaves like Kristoph was born lucky is an irritation; Kristoph feels that this ignores all the hard work he's done.

But Kristoph works hard in the office, and is effective at his job, and Mander can't complain about him in that front. At least, he can't complain until it becomes obvious that somewhere there is an information leak.

"We no longer need to have Herr Gavin here." Mander said. He was in the office of Colonel Hass, discussing the fact that somehow, London knew the movement of the German troops and knew exactly where to bomb. "Let's release him from service, or send him somewhere else to work."

There's a niggling thought in the back of Mander's mind that won't go away: Kristoph Gavin is the one who's stealing information and leaking it to London. He has no proof of this, but he suspects that if Gavin leaves, so will the problem they're having now.

Hass frowned. "You must be losing your mind, Lieutenant. I can't spare Gavin; he does the work of three men. Why don't you go back to finding this leak is coming from, and plugging it up?"

Mander leaves the office five minutes later, discontented.

He just can't shake the feeling that Kristoph Gavin is the spy.

* * *

Kristoph's office does not have the information that London is desperate to get its hands on, and they have very few spies in positions as high and important as hiss. Something will have to be done.

"We're gathering a group of underground operatives who have volunteered to poison the water supplies at all of the communications offices in this part of Germany." The silver-blue haired woman in front of him doesn't look very old, so it's a mystery as to why her hair is the color it is.

"Surely you jest." Kristoph replied.

They were sitting at a table in the far corner of a local restaurant. It's busy, which makes them less noticeable.

"I am not joking," She replied. "This foolish scheme was concocted by someone back in London. I'm only here on my way through, to drop a message off. We're planning a coordinated strike on the offices now. We need a few more volunteers for it, but once we have those in place we'll let you know."

"Fraulein von Karma," Kristoph began, with an exaggerated note of patience in his voice. "What exactly do you plan to do once you've poisoned the water? What is London's great plan in all of this?"

"We'll get in and raid the offices, naturally." She said, as though it was simple. "The foolishly foolish fools of the Nazi Party will never know what hit them."

Kristoph smiled politely. "Be sure and let me know which poison you use, so I know how much I can drink without killing myself."

"Are you serious?" She asked.

"What better way to throw off suspicion then to be affected by the poison like everyone else?" He asked, then glanced at the clock on the wall and picked up his cane and light summer coat. "I need to get going or people will start to wonder where I am."

 _Where are they finding these people these days?_ He wondered as he stepped back out onto the cobblestone sidewalk. It had been raining all morning and he had been using his cane all day. His knee was starting to get stiff.

At least he wasn't that far from the office. The walk back was wet, but short.

When he arrived back at the office, the first floor was in a flurry, but he didn't stay to find out what was going on. Instead he went down the hall to the stairs and looked at them apprehensively.

Someone grabbed him by the arm, and he swung around to see Corporal Berger standing there. "Gavin, have you heard the news?"

"No I have not heard anything since before I left for lunch."

"Lt. Mander believes there is a spy in our midst!" Berger said breathlessly. Berger was technically part of the Gestapo, a member of the Nazi Party, and overanxious to do his job well. How to get to the next promotion was his main concern; his job was his idea of social climbing.

"You don't say," Kristoph said, still eyeing the stairs. Crawling up them to get to his office would be so undignified. At least Mander had relented late last year and let him down from the third floor to the second. "Does he have any clues to the identity of the spy?"

"No, but some information that was very valuable to the War Effort has ended up in the hands of the British!"

 _Well done, Calisto_. Kristoph thought as he adjusted his glasses, pulled his arm free and put his hand on the handrail, and tightened his grip on the cane.

"Herr Gavin, let me help you." Berger took the arm Kristoph had braced on the railing.

"I will be slow."

"That's fine." Berger said. "I wanted to know if you had any clues as to the identity of the spy."

"I cannot say I have. Doesn't the Gestapo have any idea?" Kristoph asked as they headed up the stairs. They had to go one step at a time, because that was all the faster Kristoph could go. They made it to the top of the staircase, where Berger released Kristoph's arm.

"The only clue we got came when the British suddenly had information on our troop movements that they shouldn't have had. So we think that somehow it must have been a communications office that was breached. But you haven't seen anything suspicious have you?" Berger asked. "I mean, you are sometimes here very late."

"I am here late, but I am in my office working during that time, and I haven't seen anyone when I leave." Kristoph said, adjusting his cane in his hand before limping down the corridor to his office. Berger followed him. "Are you sure the leak isn't closer to ground level? All of the information that goes out of the office, after all, has to go a long way before it arrives at the battlefield."

"We'll be looking into that, I think, if we aren't already. You'll say something if you see anything unusual, won't you?" Berger asked as Kristoph unlocked his office door and stepped inside.

Kristoph gave him a surprised look. "Of course I will! How could I do any less?" He asked as he managed to get his wet jacket off and hung it up on the coat tree. He turned to step to his desk, and his knee finally gave out.

Berger beamed and used a hand to keep his coworker from falling over as Kristoph tried to regain his balance. "I am glad to hear it, Herr Gavin! I will tell Lt. Mander that we have spoken and you will report all suspicious behavior. Heil Hitler!"

"Heil Hitler!" Kristoph replied, but he did not salute as he had made it to his desk by this point and had one hand on his cane and the other on his desk.

But Berger didn't say anything about it; having just helped the other man up the stairs he wasn't expecting Kristoph to do anything other than try and maintain his balance.

Kristoph watched the other man depart, adjusted his glasses again, and decided that being a cripple sometimes had its uses.

Then he sat back down and got back to work. There was no cause to worry about the news of a spy, at least not yet.

* * *

~xXx~

* * *

 _Munich, Germany_

 _Summer, 1941_

"Why do you have fewer bags then me?" Klavier asked.

Kristoph has been shooting his brother's suspicions down from the moment when Klavier first got up that morning until now and he's starting to get tired of it. He smiles and resists the urge to simply knock Klavier unconscious and drag him onto the train. _If that ordinance hadn't happened…_ "I've taken many more business trips then you have, Klavier. I'm quite the efficient packer."

"Funny, I've been travelling to other countries for years to go to school and I'm pretty good at it too." Klavier noted.

He wants to believe Kristoph. He really does. He would like to stay with his brother somewhere smaller than their house where they can interact with each other a little more and behave like family. But he's been Kristoph's little brother his whole life and he knows when something's wrong and he can't shake the feeling that something is wrong here. Kristoph had been determined to make him go to school in America. Why the sudden change?

"Klavier, you have two extra bags besides your trunk and they aren't large ones. How is that more? Oh, and that." Kristoph nods at the guitar case Klavier is carrying. He had hardly expected his brother to leave it behind; it's been his prized possession since their mother had given it to him a year before she died.

Klavier doesn't look convinced, based on the way he peers over the edges of his sunglasses at his brother, but he turns and boards the train. Kristoph follows him. It's been a sunny day, and is becoming a warm afternoon, so Kristoph carries his cane with his satchel in one hand rather than use it.

The brothers make their way to their compartment on the train. It will become a sleeping compartment later; the train won't get to Kiel until the next morning. Both have their identification documents ready in case they're needed.

The first leg of the journey is uneventful. Kristoph even refrains from getting upset when, after they are in their compartment, Klavier opens his guitar case and fishes _The Shoulder Shrug_ out from under the instrument and proceeds to read it for the first leg of the journey.

Klavier knows better than to push his luck, though, and when the train makes its first stop, he has the book safely tucked away in the guitar case again. He stands to leave; if the train is going to be here awhile, he'd like to at least stretch his legs by walking the station a little.

"Where are you going?" Kristoph asks. He's been looking at the papers he brought with him this entire time, and he doesn't look up from them now.

"The station. I want to walk for a bit." Klavier says, sliding his sunglasses on. "Are you coming?"

"No. I will here." Kristoph replied.

"Alright." Klavier slides his guitar case as far under his seat as it will go, putting it out of his way to make getting in and out of the compartment easier and signifying to Kristoph his intent to return.

The station they've stopped at is small and sparse, but busy. People are rapidly embarking and disembarking, as the conductor calls out the next stop on the route.

Klavier moved in and out of the throngs of people, watching them as he did. That was when he noticed two people, a mother and daughter by appearance, being harried by a guard. He strides closer, to listen in on what is being said.

The guard is examining their papers. "You are both lying!" He spits. "These papers are fraudulent! I will summon the Gestapo."

Both women pale.

"Herr Guard." Klavier says. The man starts to turn, but Klavier puts a hand on his shoulder and keeps him from turning around. "No, do not turn around. You should let them continue on their way."

"Do you want me to call the Gestapo on you also?" The guard threatened.

Klavier made a face. Wouldn't Kristoph just be thrilled if that happened? He could just imagine his brother's reaction. But he suspects he knows what kind of man the guard is. "No, I simply want you to look the other way." He pulled a handful of Reichsmarks from his pocket and held them in front of the man. "Just pretend none of this ever happened."

The guard hesitates for a moment, then pockets the money and walks away. "Heil Hitler."

"Heil Hitler." Klavier returns.

"How can we ever thank you?" The older woman asks when the guard has gone.

"Pretend it never happened. I was never here." Klavier warns them, before turning and walking away.

When he arrives back in the train compartment five minutes later, Kristoph barely looks up from his papers. "Back so soon?"

"It was a small station." Klavier replied.

"I could have told you that before you got off."

(-)

The last time the two brothers shared any sort of sleeping arrangements had been years ago, before their mother died. Tonight they sleep in separate beds in the same train car.

It's dark; the last lights are out in their compartment, and the only sound is the wheels of the train hitting the tracks below as it speeds towards Kiel. Kristoph is lying on his back, thinking through the plan for the next several days when Klavier speaks.

"Kristoph, how long are we staying in Kiel?"

In the dark he can't see his little brother. There's a small table between the beds, too, that in the dark makes the tiny distance between them seem further. "If I had known the answer before we left Munich I would have told you more specifically what to pack."

Klavier falls silent, and Kristoph's curiosity gets the better of him. "Why do you ask?"

"I just thought it would be nice if we did stay in Kiel and get an apartment there. We…we could spend more time together. It would be more like being family." Klavier admitted.

Kristoph experiences a feeling he hasn't felt in years: guilt. Klavier is to him what's left of his family, but Kristoph remembers what it was like to have parents. Klavier has very limited recollections of his parents; to him Kristoph is his only family.

He's really glad they aren't having they aren't having this conversation in the daylight.

"We'll see how things turn out, Klavier. Now go to sleep." Kristoph orders, but there's no bite to his voice.

Long after he can hear Klavier's even breathing in the other bed, Kristoph lies awake and looks at the dark ceiling. The rhythmic sound of the wheels on the tracks reminds him that Kiel and the ship that Klaiver to America are drawing closer all the time.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** Don't you just love those shows where a character is excitedly informing the spy that they're looking for him? Yeah, I don't understand that either. But the irony is really good. Hey Franziska! What brings you to Europe these days? Does Edgeworth know you're a spy for the Allies? Franziska's an Interpol agent in the Investigations game, so I thought she could be some kind of agent working for the Allies behind enemy lines in this story.

Way to engage in oblivious guilt slinging, Klavier! I wasn't sure what to do for the sleeper car – I had to describe it this time, unlike last time. Initially I was going to have them have bunk-style beds. Of course, Klavier would be up top. Kristoph wouldn't be. But there are other types of sleeper cars, if my research is correct, and they could have side by side beds.

As far as Klavier not believing Kristoph, in the one case in the Apollo Justice game both the judge and Apollo get hung up while Kristoph is on the witness stand, and the only way they get out of it is that Klavier points out that Kristoph is bluffing. Based on that, I presume for the sake of this story that Klavier has the ability to see through his brother's crap, which makes sense. I mean, they're brothers, they lived together, they would have a pretty good read on each other. (Good thing Klavier was the prosecutor or Apollo's case woulda sunk! Incidentally, I'm not sure that in the real world, Klavier would have been allowed to cross-examine his brother. Usually I think that's the point where a special prosecutor not related to the witness gets called in, but I have no proof of that, and may be crazy wrong.)

Golly, 25 chapters. What's wrong with me? When was the last time I wrote this much fanfiction? Oh wait, never. In word and chapter count, this one tops my other stories. Hm. Did not see that coming.

Please review, and I'll see you in Chapter 26! (Yeah... we are not done yet…)


	26. In the Shadow of Your Heart

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 26: In the Shadow of Your Heart**

 _Fall, 1942_

 _America_

The front door of the house slammed shut and Apollo wandered in and took a seat at the kitchen table. From the seat at the far side of the table, he can just see into the kitchen, and Klavier is cutting up cabbage.

"I'm afraid to know, but what are you making?"

"Sauerkraut!" Klavier replies cheerfully, dumping the pile of sliced cabbage on the wooden cutting board into a wide ceramic crock sitting on the floor.

"I knew it." Apollo said with resignation.

"I think you will find my recipe more enjoyable then whatever you have eaten before, Herr Forehead."

"I guess I'm going to find out." And even if he doesn't like it, the time for complaining is over. It might be a long war, and if there's one thing Apollo has learned growing up in an orphanage during the Great Depression, it's to not complain about the food. The nuns always tried their best to feed all of the children in their care, but sometimes it was hard.

"You are out of work early." Klavier noted.

"Yeah, they're upgrading the machines. Something new that the War Department wants us to make. I'll know more tomorrow." Apollo said.

The door opened and closed in rapid succession and Trucy came bounding into the room. School had started a month ago, when the garden was all over but the harvest. "Polly, you're home early! Klavier, what are you working on?"

"I am putting the cabbage up for the winter, Trucy." Klavier said.

"Yes, but how?" Trucy asked, setting her schoolbooks on the table and wandering into the kitchen to see what was going on.

Klavier stared at the heap of cabbage on the board in front of him.

' _Kristoph, what are you doing?'_

' _Making sauerkraut.'_

"I'm making sauerkraut." Klavier said.

"Can I help?" Trucy asked.

' _Can I help?'_

Klavier's knife landed on the board and stayed there for a long moment. Then he released the implement. "I am going to take a break for the moment, but when I am ready to start again you can help, yes?"

"Yes!" Trucy said excitedly.

Klavier looked up and noticed something. "Herr Forehead, what are you doing?"

Apollo straightened up. "What do you mean?"

"You were staring at me."

"Yeah, you were staring so hard your eyes were bugging out of your head, Polly!" Trucy added.

"Nothing, sorry, it was nothing." Apollo said, rubbing at his bracelet.

Klavier picked up the knife again. "Get the canning salt, Trucy, and I will tell you what to do."

Trucy layered the shredded cabbage with salt per Klavier's instructions, and they layered the shredded cabbage and salt until the crock was full.

By this time, Apollo was in the kitchen, reheating leftovers to have for dinner.

Klavier set a plate upside down on top of the cabbage, then set a brick on top of the plate.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Apollo asked, having paused his work to watch.

"Have a little faith Herr Forehead. According to Kristoph this has recipe has been in my family for generations, once the family servants started using it."

"So how did he learn?" Apollo wanted to know.

"I have no idea." Klavier replied. "But he used to do it every fall when he was home."

"You had servants?" Trucy asked, looking very interested in this revelation.

"My family used too. But that was a long time ago. We never had any servants while I was growing up. It was just Kristoph and I." Klavier told her.

"Didn't your mother ever make sauerkraut?" Was Trucy's next question.

"I suppose she must have, when I was younger, but I don't remember it." Klavier said with a frown. "I only ever remember Kristoph doing it."

Apollo was starting to stare again. Klavier turned away and unfolded a clean dish towel which he set across the top of the crock. A piece of board followed over the dishcloth, and then another brick.

"Now what?" Trucy asked, looking at the crock.

"Now we wait while the cabbage ferments." Klavier said, dragging it out of the kitchen and into a corner of the dining room. It wouldn't be in the way over there.

"I'm putting a lot of faith in the idea that your recipe is going to be better then what I used to eat." Apollo said as he turned his attention back to the food eating on the stove. He'd been trying to find a tell again but had had no luck.

"It will be much better." Klavier said with confidence as he walked back into the kitchen. "Now, Herr Forehead, what else needs to be done for dinner?"

* * *

 _Munich, Germany  
_

Kristoph was walking home from the communications office at the end of the day when he first saw her. There was an old lady on the street corner, with a tin cup, begging for alms. Something about the way a smirk seemed to play on her lips seemed familiar.

Kristoph frowned, considered the situation, frowned again, and then walked over to her. He took a bank note of a small denomination out of his pocket and dropped it in her cup.

She reached out with the speed of a leopard and grabbed his hand. "Bless you sir," She said in a wizened voice, but she looked up at him, and the gleam in her eye let Kristoph know her identity immediately. A small piece of paper was pressed into his hand.

"A mutual friend said you wanted to see that." Calisto whispered, "Before they poison the water tanks outside the war office."

Kristoph pulled his hand free nonchalantly, as if being grabbed by old begging hags happened to him every day, and shoved his hand back into his pocket, the note still clutched in it.

"I'll be back in a couple of days." Callisto whispered.

Kristoph nodded and moved on, heading in the direction of home.

 _I had better check and make sure that Fraulein von Karma doesn't get us all killed…_

* * *

~xXx~

* * *

 _Kiel, Germany_

 _Summer 1941_

It's been five days since the Gavin brothers arrived in Kiel.

Today is day number 6, and today, again, they are sightseeing. Klavier has stayed busy exploring the city while his brother meets with lawyers and businessmen and discusses family business arrangements. Klavier has used this time to pinpoint things in the city that he wants his brother to see. It's nearly noon when they stop in by a statue of Klaus Groth.

Kristoph is using his cane again; the morning's walk having taken its toll on him. Klavier climbs the pedestal the statue sits on and looks at the statue itself as he contemplates climbing it too.

Kristoph recognizes the look on Klavier's face and sighs. Fortunately, there's no one around, at least at the moment. "If anyone asks, I'm not related to you." Kristoph warns him.

Klavier flashed a grin at his big brother and instead sat down on the pedestal, making him look like he was sitting at the feet of the poet.

 _Typical_ , Kristoph thinks, and then frowns. He ties to imagine Klavier crippled like he is, no longer able to climb statues and dependent on a cane, like Kristoph is already. Or Klavier missing an arm, no longer able to play the instrument he loves. They are not thoughts that Kristoph likes, and though they are only possibilities, they are still very real possibilities if Klavier ends up going to war.

And these thoughts are what Kristoph uses to steel himself for the last, final step.

"Let's go, Klavier. There's a stop I've been asked to make while we're out today."

* * *

 **[A/N:]** There is a statue of poet Klaus Groth in Kiel, Germany. I was looking for a statue that was set on a pedestal so it would match the scene in my head of Klavier walking around the statue after he'd climbed the pedestal. This didn't quite match, but that's okay. I can't figure out via Google search when that statute actually was put up, so for the sake of this story, we'll pretend it was in Kiel in 1941.

And what Klavier is up to as far as making sauerkraut is, in fact, a traditional way to make sauerkraut. Yeah, I looked that up too. He's going to have to keep an eye on it, make the cabbage is weighed down enough, and skim off any scum that forms on top, but that's how it's done.

This will be the last flashback until chapter 34, which contains the actual, final flashback. I'm not denying that there won't be smaller ones, like the ones in the first section of this chapter, but the larger ones are slated to end for the time being and reappear for the last time in 34. At least, that's the plan anyway.

Chapter title comes from the song Cosmic Love by Florence and the Machine, because of that whole sun/moon them going on for the Gavin brothers here.

Please review!


	27. In Your Garden a Rosemary Tree

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 27: In Your Garden a Rosemary Tree**

 _December 1942_

 _America_

Early that winter, Trucy comes home from school and doesn't bounce as she walks through the door. Instead, she drags in, drops her books on the table, and goes and curls up on the couch.

Because she doesn't come in bouncing and slamming the door, Klavier has no idea she's home until he comes downstairs a few minutes later, _Der Schulterzucken_ under his arm. "Trucy, I did not hear you come in. Why do you still have your coat on?"

"I'm cold, Klavier." Trucy said. "I don't feel good."

Klavier frowns at that, and sets his book down on the table. "Why don't you take your coat off, and I will find you a blanket instead?"

"Okay." Trucy agreed, and she shrugged out of her coat. Klavier took it from her and gave her one of the blankets that were kept in a basket near the hearth. "Thanks, Klavier."

"You are welcome." Klavier, says, and goes to hang the coat up. Then he goes to start dinner.

Phoenix comes home next, his briefcase weighed down with papers. He's been retained as special counsel in a case the next county over, and Edgeworth is special prosecutor for the same case. It will start the day after tomorrow. He takes one look at Trucy and realizes that something is off with his daughter. "Trucy, are you alright?"

"I'm cold." Trucy complained.

Phoenix pressed a hand to her forehead. "You're running a fever, Trucy." Now that he thinks about it, Apollo has been complaining of feeling unwell for the last couple of days, too, but everyone had chalked that up to the fact that he hadn't been sleeping the last couple of nights, either. If Apollo can't get to sleep, he stops trying and goes to do something else instead, but that doesn't work nearly as well when he's doing eight hours of work at a factory like he does now. Now Phoenix thinks there was a different reason for Apollo's complaints.

"Come on Trucy, let's get you to bed." Phoenix said. He decides he'll get the thermometer out after he gets her to bed.

The most obvious sign that Trucy is sick is that she doesn't argue when Phoenix escorts her upstairs.

When Phoenix comes back down a few minutes later, he tells Klavier, "Trucy's got a fever of 100.8."

"Fahrenheit?" Klavier asks.

"Yeah." Phoenix thinks about it. "So in Celsius that's…"

Klavier's been doing conversions since the day he stepped off the boat from Germany. "38.2" He supplies as Phoenix is still trying to remember the conversion formula.

"I'll take your word for it." Phoenix goes to the kitchen sink and washes the thermometer. He leaves it one the counter to dry. "When Apollo gets in I want to check his temperature too."

Klavier just nods and goes back to what he's doing, but Phoenix isn't finished. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel fine." Klavier tells him.

Phoenix nodded and went to get his briefcase.

There's a huge trial coming up, and his daughter is sick. Now what?

* * *

Apollo comes home an hour later. The circles under his eyes have deepened since this morning, and Phoenix takes one look at him and realizes this is more than just Apollo's night owl tendencies at work here. He vanishes into the kitchen and returns with the thermometer. "Put this under your tongue."

"Why?"

"Because Trucy's sick and I think you are too."

Apollo looked annoyed, but he did as he was told. When Phoenix checked the thermometer a moment later, he saw that Apollo was running a fever too. "Go to bed, Apollo."

Apollo looked like he wanted to protest, but thought the better of it a trudged upstairs.

Phoenix sits down at the table, one hand on his briefcase, and considers the situation. Two of his children are sick and he is going to have to go out of town the day after tomorrow.

"It isn't too late for me to start making soup." Klavier suggested, and Phoenix looked up at him.

He tries not to think of Klavier as his third child. The younger man has family still, even if there's a war and an ocean in the way, and he's more widely traveled then Phoenix has ever been. The way Klavier carries himself, with the aura of someone who can take care of himself if he has too, makes it hard to remember that his is still young. But sometimes it's hard not to think of him as another one of the kids, especially now that Trucy has made it clear that in her eyes, Klavier is as much as member of the family as anyone else.

"I think that's a good idea." Phoenix said. "I'm sorry to have to ask you this, but can you take care of Trucy and Apollo tomorrow? I'll try and get the special trial moved if Edgeworth will agree."

"You don't have to worry about moving the trial." Klavier said, pulling a saucepan out of one of the lower cupboards and setting it on the stove. "I can take care of them while you're gone."

"Are you sure?" Phoenix asked.

"Yes." Klavier replied. "I used to take care of Kristoph sometimes."

"Really?"

"On his worst days his knee would lock up." Klavier said. "If he had done too much the day before and then it was wet the next day. It only happened a couple of times." And it had always caused Kristoph a great deal of irritation that, now that he thinks about it, Klavier probably enjoyed a little more then he should have even though it meant he would be spending the day waiting on his brother.

"If you can take care of them that would be a big help. The special hearing should only run for a couple days." Phoenix said. At least, he hopes it will only run for a couple of days. He'd only been advised to bring one change of clothes.

" _In Ordung_."

Phoenix isn't entirely sure that that means but he usually interprets it as 'okay.' That's how he interprets it this time, too.

* * *

Lana Skye was supposed to go to the special hearing as the court reporter for Phoenix and Edgeworth. But the next day, she knocks on Edgeworth's office door to tell him she can't go. Ema is sick with the flu that's started making its rounds through town and she has no one to take care of Ema for her.

Edgeworth shows up at Phoenix's office right after lunch, looking perturbed, to make this announcement to the defense attorney. "We're going to have to get a new court reporter. Lana can't come. Ema is sick. She's got the flu."

"Not her too." Phoenix said.

"What does that mean?"

"I almost had to file to have the trial moved. Trucy and Apollo are both sick, and I think they both have the flu, also."

"Wonderful." Edgeworth said drily. "I'm going to have to spend the rest of the day finding someone else who can come. Lana's had her calendar cleared for this from the moment we heard about this special trial."

* * *

"Ema can come stay here."

Phoenix looked up. He and Klavier are the only ones who are not confined to bed and tonight they are eating in the kitchen to save the trouble of having to set the table. "Are you sure?"

"Ja. Why not?" Klavier asked.

It's irregular, to be sure, but nothing about this situation is regular. The court case itself is so bad that Edgeworth's gasoline ration sticker was increased for the occasion. But it's not every day a triple homicide happens the next county and requires a special prosecution and defense attorney either.

Phoenix's only consolation is that the case appears to be open and shut. His client is not guilty and he will prove it.

"If you are sure, I'll call Lana tonight and let her know." Phoenix said.

"You might as well."

Phoenix nods. There is a camp cot that he can set up in Trucy's room for Ema to use, and if Lana agrees another problem will be solved.

He's never wished more fervently for a trial to be over, and it hasn't even started yet.

* * *

Seating three in a car designed for two is quite a trick, but the bench seat in Edgeworth's car makes it easier, though still a tight fit. He shows up early the next morning with both Lana and Ema in tow. Ema will stay at Phoenix's house.

Phoenix is waiting with his bag packed when they arrive. Though the distance isn't very far, it will be a two hour drive with the new speed limit and they will be starting the trial today.

He's not trying to worry, but he's checked Klavier's temperature this morning first thing, just to make sure. So far the German is not running a fever. It makes him feel better, but only nominally since Trucy and Apollo are still sick.

Ema doesn't say anything when she comes in, but instead goes straight upstairs. Lana had told her about all the arrangements and she knows where Trucy's room is. Lana follows her with a small bag. They weren't sure how much Ema would need but had packed light since they hoped was the trial would be short. Lana's bag was already in the car. In honor of the severity of the occasion, Lana's even broken out a new pair of nylon stockings.

Now Lana and Phoenix are both hoping the trial will be short.

"Are you ready?" Edgeworth said, looking at Phoenix.

"I'm ready." The spiky-haired attorney replied. He glanced at Klavier. "Thanks, Klavier."

"Don't mention it." The blond said. "Good luck in the trial."

Phoenix gave him a nervous look. "Thanks."

Lana came back downstairs. "Thank you Phoenix, Klavier." She glanced at the blond. "I guess I should be thanking you, since you'll be the one doing the work."

"Don't mention it." Klavier said.

"We'll be back home in a couple of days." Phoenix said.

And with that, the three of them departed.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** While influenza doesn't get the same press that it used too, it used to be a very serious health issue. With the advent of the vaccine for it, some of that has diminished, but the vaccine wasn't widespread until after World War II, though France had one prior to the war.

Apparently, Metric didn't become common in English speaking countries until the 1960s or so (and we don't use it widely in America), but I can't find out what the system used in Germany was back in 1942. I suspect it was metric/Celsius. That's what we're going with for this story, anyway.

By this time in the US, gasoline would have been rationed as well. This wouldn't be an issue for Phoenix, who doesn't have a car, but it would be one for Edgeworth, who does. According to , the issue wasn't needing to make sure we didn't run out of gasoline, but needing to save rubber. Rubber was one of the things that America imported and in 1942 the Japanese had taken over a lot of the places that we imported it from. Enforcing limits on gas purchases enforced the reduction in driving which in turn was supposed to save rubber. Sightseeing trips were prohibited and the Indy 500 and other types of racing were banned during the rationing period.

There were five classifications for the gasoline rationing and based on these, it determined how much you could buy. My suspicion is that, since Edgeworth lives close to his job, he would only get an "A" sticker which would limit him to three gallons of gasoline a week. For this story, I've played with the rationing system a bit and since there's the case that Edgeworth is special prosecutor for, he's gotten a temporary upgrade in his ration sticker. Speed limits were also reduced during this time which is why Edgeworth and the others have to get an early start and take two hours to get to where they're trying to go.

I had to look up the car I've given Edgeworth in this story. It's a two-seater, but for the sake of the story I've said they could fit three people, and that might be the case, especially because seat belts weren't even mandatory in cars in the US until 1968. If you don't have to buckle up, you probably can fit three people on a bench seat like that.

The title comes from a German folk song. We'll be dealing with that more later, but this is a condensed song lyric again. Remember how in previous chapters I mentioned Lana having to paint her stockings on? At least one local record I've looked at regarding World War II talked about women saving their remaining nylons for special occasions. I think that to look good among strangers, she might have broken out a pair of nylons she stashed away early on.

I'm trying to remember how many chapter this little flu/fever story arc is. It's four or five; I can't remember. I did keep to my goal; I wanted to do an updating weekend with this story and I've posted these last four chapters from Thursday through Sunday, today, so I'm glad I kept up with that.

Okay, what else…? I think I've got it covered. Please review.


	28. The Blossoms I Gathered

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 28: The Blossoms I Gathered**

It's quiet after Phoenix and the others have left, but Klavier is already up, so he doesn't bother to go back to bed. Instead he sits on the couch and quietly picks out chords on his guitar. He does this for a little while, then he sets the guitar aside and goes to make breakfast. Based on past experience, he doesn't expect anyone else in the house to be very hungry, but in case they are, he wants to be ready.

Besides, he's getting hungry, too.

He makes porridge for them, and ponders the sugar rationing as he gets out what he'll need. When he was sick when he was younger, Kristoph used to make porridge for him with milk and sugar.

His thoughts have been turning more to Kristoph these days. Munich has been bombed by the British Royal Air Force, and he has not heard anything from his brother.

He still doesn't know if he can write to Kristoph, but the question that's been bothering him off and on since news of the bombing came is: why hasn't Kristoph written him? Surely his brother has some way to find him. When Kristoph makes up his mind to do something, very little stands in his way. Klavier knows that better than anyone.

Klavier tries to put that thought out of his head, and goes upstairs to see who is awake and among that set, who is willing to eat.

(-)

Apollo goes back to sleep after breakfast, and a dose of aspirin. He's tired of being sick, but he doesn't feel well enough to be up yet. At least his symptoms aren't too bad: just a fever, a mild cough, and muscle aches. Everything but the cough is helped by the aspirin.

The one advantage that Apollo has in this matter is that he sleeps better during the day.

When he wakes up later that morning – at least he thinks it's later that morning - Klavier is sitting on his trunk in their room, reading a book. The trunk's new permanent location is between the two beds in the room, under the window. It does make a good window seat, and it's more then sturdy enough for the job.

"Why're you up here?" Apollo asked.

"If I sit downstairs I can't hear if someone needs something." Klavier said matter-of-factly.

Apollo "What book is that?"

Klavier holds it up so Apollo can see the cover: _The Great Gatsby._

"What do you think of it?" Apollo asked.

"I'm only five chapters in. I haven't made up my mind yet. Why?"

"Never mind. If I tell you anything else, you might figure out how it ends. Apollo said, shifting back under the covers. "I've been meaning to ask, too, where did you get the trunk, anyway?"

"Kristoph gave it to me." Klavier replied. "I could not tell you where he got it."

Apollo's tiredness is starting to drag him back under into sleep. He nodded and dropped off the sleep again a few minutes later.

Klavier tried to focus his attention on the book. He'd selected it at random from the bookshelf in the living room, but he finds himself re-reading the same pages over again. It's irritating; usually he's a much more attentive reader than this.

But all he can think of is Kristoph sitting by his bed when he was sick. It was a necessity in their house; Phoenix's whole house barely would have made a wing on the Gavin home in Munich. There would have been no way to hear someone upstairs in the wing he and Kristoph lived in calling for something in, say, the kitchen of the Gavin family home.

Now he wonders if there had been a different reason for Kristoph sticking so close when he was sick. Even in Phoenix's considerably smaller house, Klavier would have a hard time hearing Trucy if she had called for him.

How many times had he been sick when he was younger, and woken up to find Kristoph sitting next to his bed reading? And how many times had he been reassured by his brother's act of being there? That wasn't a lie, was it? Kristoph wouldn't have stayed if he hadn't cared.

But now he wondered if Kristoph actually had ever cared, since he'd chosen to stay in Germany.

 _Surely there is nothing so important in that country that it's worth staying for!_ Klavier doesn't like the direction his thoughts are wandering now, so he closed the book and crept out of the room. There was something downstairs that he needed to be doing, he was sure of it.

(-)

"Trucy, wake up." Klavier said, shaking her shoulder gently. He had another dose of aspirin and a glass of water.

She came around slowly. "Klavier?"

"Ja. Here. It's time to take your next dose of aspirin." He held the pills out to her, and then the glass of water.

She swallowed the pills without any complaint. "Did Daddy say when would he would be back?"

"If the trial goes well, he said tomorrow night." Klavier replied.

"That's good." Trucy sighed, and curled into a tight ball under her blankets. "I'm glad to hear that." She was asleep a few minutes later.

Klavier glanced at Ema, but she seemed to be asleep, and he didn't know when her last dose of aspirin had been anyway, so he went back downstairs to do the dishes.

(-)

Ema was glaring at Klavier when he came back up the stairs. "What took you so long?" She hissed. She was trying to keep her voice down.

"You should have stopped me last time I was up here. I was with Apollo ten minutes ago." Klavier pointed out. He was just as quiet. He held out another dose of aspirin for her. "And your sister didn't tell me when you arrived this morning when you'd last taken anything."

Ema frowned and took the medicine from him.

"Why did you agree to come, Fraulein?" Klavier asked, holding out the water for her.

"Because Lana wanted to go work the trial. She'd been planning to go from the beginning." Ema said. "But I couldn't stay home by myself." She looked at the glass of water in her hand and handed it back to Klavier. "Thanks," She said, reluctantly.

" _Bitte_ , Fraulein." He said, taking the glass and glancing at Trucy's bed, but the girl was still sleeping. "Next time, Ema, call me. Usually I'm sitting in the next room, reading."

Ema looked like she wanted to say something, but she gave up and lay back down. "Fine. I'm too tired to argue with you."

Klavier grinned at her, then vanished out the door.

(-)

The end of the first day comes, uneventful. Apollo and Ema are no worse, but Trucy hasn't eaten all afternoon other then small sips of water.

The aspirin she's taking seems to be working, though, so Klavier isn't sure whether or not to call the doctor. He's heard that people who have fevers don't often eat, so he decides not to worry about it. Phoenix will be home in another day, and as long as Trucy doesn't get worse in the meantime, he'll let Phoenix deal with deciding whether or not to call in the doctor.

(-)

The second day passes in the same vein as the first. No one's really getting any better, but no one gets any worse, either. Trucy eats a little more then she had the first day, which is an encouraging sign.

In the middle of the day, Klavier is in the kitchen cooking when he realizes suddenly that he feels warmer than usual.

He brushes the thought away. Of course he feels warm; he's been standing over a stove trying to cook.

But when he walks away from the stove, to give Trucy her next dose of aspirin, he's still uncomfortably warm, and the walk upstairs is tiring.

He pushes the thought away. He doesn't have time to deal with it right now anyway. When Phoenix comes home, then there will be time to deal with it.

(-)

In a courthouse one county over, at the end of the second day of the trial, Phoenix is sitting on a bench in the hallway. The argument part of the trial is all over, now they're just waiting for the jury to get done deliberating.

"Mind if I join you?" Phoenix looks up to see Edgeworth standing next to him, and slides down to make room for his friend.

Hanging on the wall across from them are some framed pencil sketches of landscapes. Phoenix pulls out his pocket watch, the gold locket with Trucy's picture in it clinking against the gold rim of the watch. It's almost five o'clock. He's hoping the jury will be done by then.

"That watch won't move any faster simply because you're staring at it, Wright." Edgeworth said. Phoenix looked sheepish when he realized he'd been staring at it for five minutes and slipped the watch back into his pocket.

"Do you think we can leave when the trial is over tonight?" Phoenix asked.

"Absolutely." Edgeworth said. "Lana wants to go home too."

The bailiff came out a moment later. "The judge is calling everyone back in. The jury needs clarification on some matters."

Phoenix grinned nervously and smiled, even though he felt like dying. They both know this means that the jury will need another day to deliberate and it will be another day before they get to go home.

He can't stand it, but there's no help for it.

"Let's go, Wright." Edgeworth said, standing up. His voice was completely flat; he knew how desperate Lana and Phoenix had been to get home, and he's worried too. Lana appeared a moment later, looking as stressed as Phoenix felt.

But they went back into the courtroom and went back to work.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** Not too many notes for this one. Aspirin goes back a long ways, and so I expect that Phoenix would have had some in his medicine cabinet.

Poor Phoenix cannot catch a break with this trial. Poor Lana can't either. The title of this chapter is still a reference to the German folk song I mentioned last chapter. We'll talk about that more later.

When Ema is thanking Klavier, and he says, "Bitte" in response...even though "Bitte" also is used to say "please" it has several other uses including what English speakers would understand as "You're welcome."

Alright, I think that's everything. If there's something more that you have questions about, please let me know. Please review.


	29. I Dreamed Last Night

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 29: I Dreamed Last Night**

On the third day of the trial, Klavier wakes that morning with a headache. He remembers that sometimes, when Kristoph used to have a headache, he would have a cup of coffee. Klavier decides there's no harm in trying it and goes downstairs to make himself a cup. He thinks he does feel better after he's drank it.

Phoenix had called last night to report to him that the trial had stretched into a another day. There was nothing either of them could do about it, except see things through now that they were begun. Phoenix had expressed hope that the jury would be done deliberating today, but neither of them knew how or when the trial would end.

After Klavier finished his coffee, he started making breakfast for everyone.

Hopefully Phoenix would understand about why the sugar ration was going away so quickly.

(-)

Having spent three days working on the book, Klavier is nearly finished with _The Great Gatsby_. He's decided he doesn't really like it, though he can appreciate Nick's perspective, or at least his sarcasm. But life is miserable enough these days without reading miserable books, too.

The thought of misery turns his mind to _Les Miserables_ , and he realized that he'd never asked Heidi why, out of all the books she could have used as a signal, she used that one.

Klavier investigates the bookshelf in the living room, but can't find a copy of _Les Miserables_ , and he isn't sure whether or not he stole Kristoph's copy and tossed it in his trunk before he left Munich. (And it's back to Kristoph again. Why has Kristoph been in the forefront his mind these last few days? Is this role Klavier is playing, being a caretaker for the others in the house, the same role Kristoph used to play for him? Is that why his thoughts keep turning back to his older brother?

Something inside of him has felt broken since the day Kristoph sent him away. He doesn't know how to fix it.)

A glance at the clock shows that it's almost time to hand out aspirin upstairs again. He decides that he will look through his trunk for the book when he goes upstairs. First, he goes to the kitchen and gets the things he needs to take upstairs with him.

He feels warm, but it's probably nothing.

Or at least that's what he intends to tell himself until Phoenix gets home.

(-)

The sound of things being quietly shuffled around makes Apollo open his eyes. He realizes he's staring at the wall, and rolls over to see Klavier kneeling in front of his trunk. There are clothes on Klavier's bed, and a stack of books with foreign titles on the floor. The blond pulls out one book and looks at it closely for a moment, then opens the book and looks at the flyleaf. Then he hugs the book to his chest before setting it on his bed and starting to repack the trunk.

"Klavier?"

"Herr Forehead, you're awake."

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for a book. I wasn't sure I had brought this one with me." Klavier puts the last book that had been on the floor back in and then moves the clothes that had been on his bed back into the trunk. When he shuts the lid, the sound of the lock clicking closed echoes in the room.

At the foot of Klavier's bed sits a tray with three glasses, a bottle that Apollo recognizes as the aspirin bottle, and a pitcher of water. "Someone's going for efficiency." He said wryly.

" _Ja_. Saves a trip that way." Klavier agreed. He set the book he'd left out of the trunk on top of it and goes to get Apollo's dose of medication. Once Apollo's swallowed the pills, Klavier picks up the tray and goes to Trucy's room.

When he's gone, Apollo picks up the book sitting in the trunk. Emblazoned across the cover is. " _Les Miserables_." He opens the book to the flyleaf. He can't read any of the text on it, and it doesn't look like it's in German, either. Maybe it's French?

In the top right corner of the flyleaf though, in neat script, is a name that he can read: _Kristoph Gavin_.

(-)

Trucy looks peaked, but she wakes up when Klavier prods her and takes her medication without complaining. Then she curls up under the blankets again. "Is Daddy coming home today?" She asked Klavier.

"He's hoping to be home tonight." Klavier told her.

"Okay." She's asleep again minutes later.

Klavier takes the medication and the last glass of water over to Ema. Like Apollo, she looks a little better today. She took the medication quickly, and scrutinized him when she was done. "Are you alright?"

" _Ja_. Why would I not be?" Klavier asked.

"You don't look the greatest." She said. It had been hard to ignore the fact that working outside over the summer had given Klavier a great tan, but today he does look pale.

He feigns ignorance. "I don't know what you are talking about, Fraulein."

"Have you taken your temperature yet?"

"No. Why would I do that?"

Ema frowned at him. He tried to smile, but it turned into a grimace. "Ema, unless you feel like making lunch, or know someone else in this town who will come over, perhaps you won't ask how I feel until Phoenix returns, yes?"

She does not feel like getting up. Ema does consider that maybe Gumshoe would come over, but he has a job that he has to do too, and so does Kay. She can't think of anyone else to call. She nods and makes herself comfortable. Ema hates being sick.

Klavier retreats from the room a moment later and goes back to the room he shares with Apollo. His headache is back, and he feels cold now, even though the house is warm. _Les Miserables_ is where he left is on the trunk. He picks it up and sits down. He's unreasonably glad that he brought it. He doubts Kristoph will even miss it.

(-)

It gets dark earlier and earlier these days, and it's already dark outside when an early dinner if finished and Klavier is washing up the last dishes. He glances at the clock again and sees it's time to hand out medicine again.

The first thing he does is take a dose himself. His headache has come back, and this time coffee won't touch it. Klavier reaches for the thermometer but decides against it. He can guess that he's getting sick, but unless Phoenix comes home soon, he has no idea what to do.

"Klavier! Klavier!" Ema calls from upstairs, and he quickly sets the last dish to dry on a dish towel and darts up the stairs as fast as he can.

Ema is sitting on Trucy's bed when he enters the room, holding Trucy's hands. Trucy is in tears, and shaking.

" _Was ist es denn_?" Klavier asks, and his alarm is so great he doesn't realized he's slipped back into a German at a point where needed to be understood is of the utmost importance.

Either Ema doesn't hear him or she can guess the meaning of the question. "Trucy can't stop shaking."

It's true that the younger girl is trembling, and she nods as Ema explains. "I can't get warm," Trucy sobs. She's trying to be quiet, but her alarm is growing. No matter how much she wants to stop shivering, she can't.

Klavier and Ema's alarm is growing rapidly, too. " _Wie lang_?" Klavier asks, then catches himself. "How long?"

"I don't know. I only noticed she was crying a few minutes ago," Ema said, and sounded upset.

The answer, or more accurately, the temporary solution, pops into Klavier's mind just then. "Does Phoenix have a hot water bottle around here somewhere?"

Ema thinks about it, only for a minute. "Yes! In the bathroom in the cupboard under the sink."

" _Das ist es_ …" Klavier mutters under his breath, and exits the room.

He goes downstairs first, and puts the tea kettle on the stove to start boiling. Then he goes back upstairs and locates the water bottle.

But even though he set the burner on the stove as high as possible, it still takes time for the water to boil, and it's a few minutes later when he finally comes back up stairs with the hot water bottle wrapped in a towel.

Trucy curls up on it as best as she can, and gives a sigh between her sniffles. "Is Daddy coming home yet?"

Klavier sits down on the floor near the foot of her bed. "I don't know Trucy. I have not heard anything more since this morning."

Trucy sniffled. "I hope he gets home soon."

 _Me too_ , Klavier thinks, but doesn't say it. The situation is bad enough already.

Ema goes back to her bed, stiffly, and settles under the covers with a sigh.

"Klavier, will you play some music?" Trucy asks.

He sighs. He would like to, but the adrenaline is wearing off and getting up to go back downstairs to get his guitar feels impossible right now. "How about I sing you something instead?" He offers.

Trucy's still shaking as she nods. "Okay."

Klavier picks the first song that comes to his mind.

 _"Ich hab die Nacht geträumet_

 _wohl einen schweren Traum,_

 _es wuchs in meinem Garten_

 _ein Rosmarienbaum._

 _"Ein Kirchhof war der Garten_

 _ein Blumenbeet das Grab,_

 _und von dem grünen Baume_

 _fiel Kron und Blüte ab."_

Two verses in, Ema realizes that this song is not a happy song, and she's not sure, in their present predicament, that Klavier should be singing it. She's been half tempted throughout the day to tell him to just call Gumshoe and ask him to come over once his shift ends, but she's not sure that Klavier will agree. She's not sure Gumshoe can come over, anyway. She doesn't know his hours at work or what he has to do after work.

At least the song is in a language that neither she nor Trucy can understand in any detail.

But it is a slow song, and though it pains her to acknowledge it, Klavier is a good singer. Trucy looks like she's starting to fall back asleep, and Ema decides to follow her lead.

Hopefully Lana and Phoenix will be back tonight.

 _"Die Blüten tät ich sammeln_

 _in einen goldnen Krug,_

 _der fiel mir aus den Händen,_

 _dass er in Stücken schlug._

 _"Draus sah ich Perlen rinnen_

 _und Tröpflein rosenrot:_

 _Was mag der Traum bedeuten?_

 _Ach Liebster, bist Du tot?"_

When the song is over, Trucy seems to have settled into an uneasy sleep. Klavier leans his head against the side of the bed and wishes that Phoenix were back. He doesn't know what else to do.

A few minutes later, he drops into an uneasy sleep.

(-)

When Ema wakes up, she has no idea how much time has passed. It doesn't feel like very much, but she can't see the tiny clock Trucy keeps on the desk in her room. It's too dark. The moonlight is streaming in through the window, dim and distant.

The light is just enough for her to see that Klavier is still kneeling by the foot of Trucy's bed. By all appearances, he's asleep.

Ema throws off the blankets and stands again, as stiff as before. She knows Klavier can't stay there, not now that he's sick too.

"Klavier," She whispers, trying not to wake Trucy up. That's the last thing they need now. "Klavier, come on, get up."

"Fraulein…" He slurs the word, but she can still recognize it. Klavier lets her pull him up, but he's not exactly awake. He's taller then she is, and all Ema can think to do is back him over to her bed. She's sore; the muscle aches from the flu have not been fun. But she manages to get him into her bed.

It doesn't work very well, this cot is short, and Klavier is nearly six feet tall. His feet hang off the end of the bed. But it will have to do for now. She doesn't think she can get him to his bed, but he can't stay on the floor, either.

Hoping that Lana will forgive her and that Phoenix won't be too mad; Ema curls up half on top of Klavier, with her back to the wall, and pulls the blankets over both of them as best as she can.

"Klavier, did you ever see Notre Dame?" She asked quietly.

She wasn't expecting him to answer, so it surprised her when she heard him say, "Ja."

"Was it as beautiful as people say it is?"

"More beautiful." He whispered back.

Ema falls silent, and a few minutes later Klavier is out of it again. She can tell from his breathing.

Ema adjusts her head, which rests on his right shoulder, and thinks that she can hears his heartbeat.

Finally she falls asleep too.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** The Great Gatsby would have been published by this point. Back when I wrote that chapter where Klavier confronted the French guy who was bothering Ema, I was wondering if Klavier could read as well as speak French. Apparently he can...and so can Kristoph.

This chapter title, "I Dreamed Last Night" ( _Ich hab die Nacht geträumet_ in German) is the name of the folk song that Klavier sings in this chapter. Here are the lyrics, courtesy of Wikipedia:

I had a dream last night,  
It was such a worrisome dream,  
There was growing in my garden,  
A rosemary tree

A graveyard was the garden,  
A flowerbed the grave  
And from the green tree  
The crown and flower fell.

The blossoms I gathered  
in a golden jar,  
It fell out of my hands,  
And smashed to pieces.

Out of it I saw pearls trickling  
And droplets rose-red  
What could the dream mean?  
Oh, my love, are you dead?

You can find several versions of this song on YouTube. You should also be able to see where I've been getting the titles for the last several chapters from...and...I think the next chapter gets a title taken from this song as well.

 _Was ist es denn_? - What is it?

 _Wie lang_ \- How long?

 _Das ist es_ \- That's it.

And, yeah, Klavier and Ema have to sleep cute together 'cause I wrote "Warm in Your Embrace" so...yeah.

Alright. I think that's everything. Please review!


	30. Droplets Rose-Red

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 30: Droplets Rose-Red**

By the end of the third day of the trial, Phoenix is nearly frantic, and Lana doesn't look so happy either.

The trial is officially over. At five-thirty that night, Phoenix goes to call home.

There's no answer on the other end of the line, and the look on his face says as much when he turns to face Lana and Edgeworth.

Edgeworth sees the look on Phoenix's face and tries to be the voice of reason. "Did you really expect an answer with three sick people in your house?"

"No, I expected Klavier to answer." Phoenix said flatly. Lana doesn't look like the conversation is making her any calmer.

The good news is that Edgeworth will do anything for his goddaughter and anything for Lana, so not driving home that night doesn't even enter into consideration. It's been a long day for all of them, between re-explaining things to the jury, answering questions, re-explaining the rules of deliberation, and then waiting for the jury to be finished.

That his client was found not guilty and the real killer was exposed is very cold comfort for Phoenix right now. Right now he just wants to go home.

(-)

When Ema wakes again, it's because she thinks she's heard the front door open, but when no further noise is forthcoming, she decides she's imagined it, even though she wants Lana to come back so badly she could scream. She presses her head back into Klavier's shoulder and prepares to go back to sleep. The blond hasn't stirred since Ema got him into bed, and was showing no inclination to wake up any time soon.

There's more noise drifting up from downstairs now, and then the hallway light turns on. Ema sits up. Phoenix is in the doorway and suddenly she's mortified. "M-M-Mr. Wright! This is not what it looks like!"

Phoenix doesn't look upset, though, and like Ema he keeps his voice down as he walks in the room, to keep Trucy from waking up. "Ema, you're an adult. You can call me Phoenix," He said as he walked over to them.

Ema gets out of bed quickly, feeling sick and miserable now. "Nothing happened," She told him.

"You're just embarrassed, right?" Phoenix asked.

Ema looked at the floor. "Yes. How did you know?"

Phoenix pulled his matagama out of his suit coat pocket. "You had one psyche-lock, and it broke when I asked if you were embarrassed. So I know you're not lying." He walked over to the bed and looked at Klavier. "When did he start getting sick?"

"I don't know. I only noticed today." Ema admitted. "He was…he was sleeping on the floor."

Phoenix managed to get Klavier up on his feet, though the German didn't seem to be entirely awake. "I'll get him to bed."

"You won't tell Lana, will you? She'll take it the wrong way." Ema asked anxiously.

"Don't worry. This will stay between us." Phoenix promised. "Lana's downstairs. She's staying here too."

"Will that be okay?"

"Well, Edgeworth went home," Phoenix said, wrapping one of Kavier's arms around his shoulders. "So no one's going to talk about that." The town has pretty much accepted that Lana and Phoenix work together to raise the young people they are responsible for, and no one minds it anymore. But since Lana and Edgeworth have been determined by the town to have some type of romantic attachment, Edgeworth staying the night at Phoenix's while Lana is over at the same time pretty much guarantees the town will expect a wedding the next morning. Phoenix went on, "And he had to see Pess. You know how Pess gets when Edgeworth is away too long."

Ema nodded. Pess had been staying with Edgeworth's housekeeper during this absence, since neither of the Skye sisters could mind her this time.

Phoenix starts steering Klavier towards the door as Ema gets back into bed. He manages to get into the next room and get Klavier into his pajamas and into bed. Then he goes back to check on Trucy.

(-)

In the morning, Ema and Apollo are better. Still recuperating, tired, but better.

Trucy hasn't improved much, though, and as Ema and Apollo are improving, Klavier's condition is worsening.

Trucy they can still wake up and coax into to taking some aspirin. Klavier doesn't come awake enough to swallow any medication.

Ema is finally up and moving around the house the day after Phoenix and Lana come home, and she's downstairs that morning, sitting on a chair in the dining room. She would have liked to be in the living room, but she can see that the couch is made up as a bed for Lana and she doesn't want to get her big sister sick. Lana comes downstairs a moment later, drags a chair from the table into the kitchen, and climbs onto the counter. She fishes around in the back of the uppermost shelf of the corner cupboard and comes out a moment later with a small glass jar. Then she climbs down and puts the kettle on the stove.

"What is that?" Ema asked.

"Willow bark, for tea." Lana replied, getting out the tea strainer.

"…Why do you need it?" Ema wanted to know. She's never heard of drinking tea made of willow bark before.

"This is what people used to use before aspirin," Lana replied.

Ema looks a little worried at this. "Why are you going back to it then now that we have aspirin?"

"Klavier is still not waking up completely." Lana told her. "When did he start getting sick?"

"I have no idea. I knew he wasn't doing well yesterday." Ema admitted.

"We should have been home sooner anyway." Lana admitted. Then she went on. "Phoenix managed to get him to swallow water. This tea will do the same thing as aspirin. If he can swallow water, he can swallow this." Lana said matter-of-factly, measuring the willow bark into the strainer.

(-)

Phoenix moves two books out of the way and sets a bowl of tepid water down on the edge of the trunk. He isn't quite sure what the point of applying a wet cloth to someone's forehead during a fever is. He only knows that this mother did it for him and he did it for his kids and now he's doing it to Klavier. But the German, still half delirious, tries to pull away if the water is too cold.

With the water more tepid now, though, Klavier doesn't even stir.

Apollo enters the room a moment later and moves the two books, _Les Miserables_ and _Der Schulterzucken_ , and sets them on his bed. Then he sits down on the trunk. "I can stay here if you want to check on Trucy."

"I do." Phoenix said. "Lana's bringing up tea for Klavier."

"Is he going to be able to drink it?" Apollo asked.

"We're going to try and see if he can. So far he's still swallowing water." Phoenix told him grimly. Of course, if Klavier stops swallowing liquids, then they won't have a choice about whether or not they have to call the doctor. It will have to be done.

That last case was not worth it for many reasons, Phoenix decides as he goes to check on Trucy again.

(-)

Meanwhile, Klavier dreams.

He dreams that he's back in Munich, at Frau Abitz' Winter Ball, and he's here to rescue someone again.

But this time, it isn't some Jews he's never met.

He stands in the circle of dancers, in the same clothes he'd worn to the ball so long ago. In the middle of the circle Kristoph stands in his typical blue suit, sans his cane, with his back to Klavier. And Klavier knows that this is the last chance he'll get to rescue his brother.

Heidi walks in, in the white dress she'd worn to the ball. She walks sedately, as though she's part of a wedding processional, and she holds in gloved hands a heavy jar. She walks toward him, holding the jar out in front of her.

Now the shadows are starting to creep into the corners of the room, but it doesn't matter. Heidi has the jar, and with this they will have what they need to get Kristoph out of Germany.

But as she comes toward him, the jar slips from her hands and shatters on the floor, leaving pearls to trickle out and roll away, and gold crown lying on top of the rubble.

Kristoph still won't face them.

Heidi kneels by the pile of shattered ceramic. "These are what we need." She tells him, and starts to pick up the pearls. Klavier holds out his own hands, also gloved in white, but when Heidi drops the pearls into his hand, they leave perfectly round spots of blood on his gloves. There's nothing on her gloves, though.

As soon as he notices this, the dream changes again, and now the ballroom is open on one side. Heidi is gone now and so are the dancers. Klavier is back in his everyday clothes. Underneath the ballroom, a long ways down, is the map of the East coast of the United States that Klavier remembers seeing on the globe in the library back at home.

And Kristoph holds him by the wrist, over the edge of the room. Klavier knows that if he falls he'll land and be perfectly safe. But if Kristoph stays in the ballroom that is rapidly filling up with shadows, he won't be.

"Come with me," Klavier begs.

"I have work here to do." Kristoph replies, indifferent.

"It's not safe here anymore. Come with me. Please, Kristoph! Come with me!"

Kristoph smiles, and shakes his head. "You still don't understand, do you, Klavier?"

Klavier looks at the scarred hand wrapped around his wrist. "There's nothing I need to understand. There's no future in Germany anymore. Come with me. I won't fight with you about leaving if you tell me we're going together!"

Kristoph just looks at him. "But we aren't going together." Behind him, the shadows are swirling and drawing closer. There's evil in those shadows. Klavier can see it. He needs Kristoph to come with him.

"It doesn't have to be this way." As long as he keeps talking, maybe Kristoph won't drop him.

"You're still such a child." Kristoph tells him. "You shouldn't talk about things you don't understand."

Klavier wants to reach up; if he can grab Kristoph's hand, he can keep his brother from dropping him, maybe even pull Kristoph down with him. But as he reaches up, Kristoph opens his hand, and Klavier starts to fall.

Down below, America waits to catch him. The last thing he sees is the swirling shadows. They envelope Kristoph, and then his brother is gone.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** So, the old "cold cloth on someone's forehead" is, per Wikipedia, not something you should do because it might make the patient uncomfortable. I have watched lots of episodes of House, though, where dump the patient in ice water or dump ice on them sometimes, so ...I dunno if that's supposed to be accurate or not. (File this under "All the Medical Info I Get From Watching House M.D.")

Yes, we are in the time period where, although nothing happened between Ema and Klavier, and nothing would have happened between Lana and Edgeworth, the appearance if impropriety has to be avoided, which is why Ema is freaked out at Phoenix's reappearance.

Willow bark was the predecessor of aspirin. I think that Phoenix would have known about it, probably heard about it from his grandmother or something.

Ha, thirty chapters, look at that. Wonder when this happened...:::backs away slowly::: Never wrote a thirty-chapter fanfic before...

Please review.


	31. Heartache and Pain

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 31: Heartache and Pain**

The day after he dreams, Klavier wakes up from his fever.

By this time, Trucy is doing better. She's sitting up in bed, reading, and carrying on conversations with anyone who happens to be nearby, but Phoenix won't let her get up yet.

Phoenix discovers that Klavier's fever has broken shortly after he's finished checking on Trucy late that afternoon. When he walks into the room, he notices that Klavier is looking at the wall on the opposite side of the room. His look isn't unfocused this time, though, as it had been while he was suffering from his fever.

The attorney pauses and presses a hand to Klavier's forehead. Klavier doesn't feel warm at all, and this time when he does it, the German looks up at him. Aqua blue eyes meet dark blue ones. "Your fever has broken," Phoenix said.

Klavier tried to speak, but whatever he was going to say was lost in a fit of coughing.

Phoenix helped him sit up and pressed a glass of water into his hands. When Klavier's coughing had abated, he took the glass and set it back down on the trunk.

"Welcome back. It's nice to see you awake."

Klavier gave a short nod and lay back down.

Phoenix wanted to ask if Klavier was alright, but it seemed like a silly thing to ask.

"How long have you been home?" Klavier asked, his voice low and hoarse.

"Two days." Phoenix replied. "Are you hungry?"

Klavier shook his head no.

"Okay. I need to go make sure Trucy is eating. I'll check on you again in a little bit, okay?"

Klavier didn't respond at first, but finally he nodded again.

He was asleep before Phoenix left the room.

(-)

Edgeworth shows up that evening to take Lana and Ema home.

The days since Ema was dropped of the morning of the trial have felt like decades, and she's glad to be going home. She hasn't seen Klavier since the night Phoenix and Lana came home, but she's heard he's awake.

Though she's glad to hear it, she just wants to go home.

"I'm glad to hear that everyone is doing better." Edgeworth says when he arrives after dinner that night.

Trucy had wanted to come downstairs to see her godfather, but this idea had been voted down by Phoenix, Lana, and Apollo.

"But I want to hear what Uncle Miles has to say about the court case!" Trucy had protested. "After all, he was prosecuting it!"

"I know you want to do that Trucy, but you need to keep getting better first." Phoenix put his foot down. "You need to stay in bed. But I'll ask Edgeworth and see if he'll come up and visit with you."

Phoenix wasn't sure that Edgeworth would agree, but to his surprise, the prosecutor did. "After all, Trucy must be tired of being in bed all day. I'll go up for a few minutes."

"Uncle Miles!" Trucy exclaimed when he appeared in the doorway.

The prosecutor smiled. "Hello, Trucy."

"I want to hear your stories about what happened at the trial!"

"I don't have too much to mention that your father didn't already tell you." Edge worth said, pulling Trucy's desk chair closer to the bed. "But ask away."

(-)

On his way back downstairs, Edgeworth stops and looks in on Klavier. The German is staring into space.

" _How are you feeling?"_

" _Better, thanks."_ Klavier says, his voice still hoarse.

" _I was told you had a pretty rough time of it."_ In Edgeworth's experience, it's always a good marker of how sick someone actually is if they don't fight back much while being fed a cup of bitter-tasting willow bark tea. Based on what Phoenix has told him, the struggles on that front were minimal.

 _"I wouldn't know._ " Klavier admits.

" _True_." Edgeworth conceded. "I hope you're back on your feet soon."

" _Thanks_."

Edgeworth continues on his way.

(-)

Physically, nothing seems wrong with Klavier since his fever broke. But frequently when Phoenix or Apollo check on him, they find him staring into space.

There's no obvious reason for it. Every time Phoenix sees it he's quick to check Klavier for a fever, but that hasn't come back either. Klavier is still coughing and still hoarse, but other than that, he seems fine.

"I wish I could figure this out." Phoenix complains to Apollo the next afternoon. They're downstairs and he's sure that they can't be overheard. "He seems fine. I don't know what happened. Any ideas?"

"None. I don't know what could be causing this." Apollo admitted, pressing a hand to his forehead.

"Did he say or do anything while I was gone?" Phoenix asked.

"Nothing out of the ordinary." Apollo said, but then he remembered the book, and the name written on the flyleaf. It was tied to this, somehow.

But how?

Phoenix rubbed his chin and then turned and headed back upstairs.

Klavier was staring at the wall again.

The dream he had had about Kristoph had not been forgotten when he woke up. And in spite of everything he'd been through since he came to America, this is the one thing he can't move past. When he closes his eyes, he can see Kristoph standing in front of him, with the shadows moving in behind him.

He wants to go home, but he isn't sure where that is anymore.

More than anything, he wants Kristoph to come back.

When Phoenix walks in he sees Klavier is staring at the wall again, and the first thing he does is press a hand to the German's forehead. No fever. He sits down of the edge of the bed. "What's wrong, Klavier?"

The blond looks disconcerted momentarily but then he stirs. "Nothing is wrong." He says, his voice still low. The fact that Klavier was the only one to wake up with his voice half gone has made Phoenix wonder if it really was the flu that Klavier had, or if it was something else. But he isn't sure, and anyway, he doesn't see how there's any point in worrying about it now that Klavier's on the mend.

"Are you sure? You just haven't seemed yourself since you got sick. And I wanted to tell you I'm sorry. I never intended to be away that long. The flu is no laughing matter."

No laughing matter, the words echo in Klavier's head, and he remembers someone else, someone he hasn't thought of in a long time: Calisto Yew. How did she ever end up working for Kristoph anyway?

He remembers her laughing at something one day, and Kristoph's anger with her. They were in the library, because Calisto had walking in while he was working on composing a song. She had been giggling like mad about something, and Kristoph, looking furious, had followed her into the room. Kristoph had slammed his fist down on the table and said the same thing to her: "This is no laughing matter!"

Calisto might be good at what she did, but she had no morals and was known to switch sides at the slightest provocation, which was one of the reasons he had never understood why she'd come to work for Kristoph in the first place. And why had he kept her as his employee? Surely if Klavier knew these things about Calisto, Kristoph knew them too.

Was there anything that would keep her from selling Kristoph out to the Gestapo?

"Klavier, what's wrong?" Phoenix asked urgently. He was wishing whole-heartedly that he had not left his matagama sitting on his dresser, or that Apollo would appear in the doorway, or something.

"Nothing." The German replies, hiding his despair quickly. "Nothing is wrong."

Phoenix had not achieved his reputation as an attorney by being an idiot, and even without his matagama or one of his tell-spotting children, he knew he had gotten an insight into his other foster child's mind. "Klavier, if you tell me what's wrong, I might be able to help you with it." Whatever it is.

Klavier gave a hoarse, bitter laugh. Then he stopped short. "Unless you can end a war, you can't help me." He wants to go home. But he doesn't know what he's talking about when he says 'home' anymore. The Germany he knew is gone now.

"You're right. I can't end the war. But…" But what? Phoenix's intuition says there's something else going on here; some other problem that Klavier will only allude to but not acknowledge. "I'm not the only person who would volunteer to stop it if they could. But that's not it. Tell me what's really wrong."

Klavier considered it and sighed. _"Ich kenne nicht…"_ His eyes land on the copy of _Les Miserables_ on his trunk. Phoenix follows his glance and picks up the book.

"I think I read this one once," Phoenix admitted, picking up the book. He opened it to the flyleaf. "Of course, my copy was in English." Then he catches the name in the corner, and thinks he's finally found a clue, if not the solution. "This is about your brother, isn't it?"

" _München_ has been bombed, and I haven't heard from Kristoph since I came to America." Klavier admits.

In his mind's eye he can see Kristoph, releasing his hold and letting him fall.

Phoenix's initial reaction to Klavier's statement is to be appalled, but then he catches himself. There might be a lot of reasons for this. A lot of ships are still being sunk. There may be another explanation for what's going on here. "Have you written him at all?"

"I didn't think Enemy Aliens were allowed to write back to the countries they were accused of spying for." Klavier said bitterly.

Phoenix taps on his chin. This is a sticky situation, to be sure. But he suspects that if they ask Edgeworth, the prosecutor will know what to do about it. At the very least, if they have to deal with Debeste again, he intends to talk to Edgeworth first. "Try not to worry about your brother too much, alright? Right now, just work on getting better. When you do feel better, we can talk to Edgeworth about what to do. I think you should still be able to write, and Edgeworth should know what to do about that."

The attorney pauses and stands up. "Anyway, Edgeworth's sister is in Europe too, doing some work for the Allies, so there might be another way to track down your brother even if you can't write. We'll deal with it when you're back on your feet, okay?"

Klavier considered it for a few minutes, then he nodded. _"Vielen dank."_

"Don't mention it." Phoenix said. "Get some rest." Then he's gone.

(-)

Klavier is up the next day, though he's still tired. His voice is stronger too, but he's still not speaking in his normal tone.

Trucy is up too, and this makes her very happy. She is so happy to be up, that both Phoenix and Apollo both have to remind her that she isn't to be jumping around the house but instead resting and being quiet.

For the first time since before Phoenix left for the trial, everyone is around the table again. And if after breakfast, Klavier goes back upstairs to take another nap, and he and Apollo have to remind Trucy that she's to be in the couch on the living room listening to the radio and not bouncing all over the house, well, it's quite an improvement from the way things were when he first got home.

They've got a ways to go yet, but Phoenix finds that he isn't anything other than pleased with the present turn of events.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** What with all the trouble FFN has been having the last few days, I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to post this. Made it! this will probably be the last update before Christmas, so Merry Christmas, everyone! Because the next few days will be busy, I think this will be the last chapter before the holidays (though Chapter 32 contains a reference to Christmas.) And I always say "I think" when it comes to things like this because I Thought this thing was only going to be like fifteen chapters long, and, well, you see how well that worked out.

I was actually going to post another chapter to _Fantasia_ before I updated this one again, but as I was getting ready to update I realized that the second story had some minor spoilers for Chapters 31 and 32 of Certain Demolitions, so _Fantasia_ is delayed for a little while.

Uboats were very active until about 1943, so there's about another year before the tide starts to turn on that front (Pun not intended). That's why Phoenix thinks that maybe Kristoph did write, but maybe something happened to keep the letter(s) from arriving. _München_ is ... apparently the correct German name for the city that in English we call Munich. I don't understand why it sounds like two different names for the same city; that's the part that confuses me. The chapter title comes from the song Crossfire, again.

 _Ich kenne nicht_ = I don't know/ I do not know

 _Vielen dank =_ Many thanks _  
_

Phoenix is wrong, actually, flu can cause laryngitis, which could have caused Klavier to lose his voice, but hey, guy's an attorney, not a doctor. He's excused. And honestly, I didn't know until I Googled it either. (Damnit Jim, I'm a fanfiction author, not a doctor! ...Wait, that's not how it goes either.)

One thing I forgot to note on the Irony Scale last chapter is that Klavier cannot find work in a town that does not like him even though he speaks, reads, and writes in three languages, and one of the reasons men could not join the Army during this time period was illiteracy. It seems that the focus on education in America slid downhill a little during the Great Depression. Which isn't surprising, really, people had other problems during the Depression, but I thought it was interesting how that worked out in this story.

Okay. I think that is all the notes. Merry Christmas.

Please review!

 _12-23-17_


	32. But the Bells Are Ringing

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 32: But the Bells are Ringing**

The rumors were true, Ema learned when he was able to slip away from her job in the post office and go outside for a quick break. Someone had smashed a window of Mr. Frobisher's store.

Detective Gumshoe and another officer were already on the scene when she arrived. Gumshoe was pulling out his brown cloth-bound notebook. It was refillable with new blank books; this was merely a case or a cover for it. It had room to hold his pen as well. For Ema it had become a kind of symbol of an investigation about to begin.

Gumshoe saw her as she approached the building. "Stay back, please."

"So it is a crime scene?" Ema asked with interest.

"Yep." Gumshoe confirmed. "We might get some footprints too, pal!" He's right about this; there was fresh snow last night and the narrow yard around the store was surrounded by a smooth blanket of white. The walkway up to the store had been shoveled, but the rest of the yard is white.

"Is there something I can help with?" Ema asked anxiously.

"Listen, I appreciate the offer, but Mr. Edgeworth won't be happy if he hears I've let someone else onto the crime scene." Gumshoe told her.

"Please, Gummy?" She asked, borrowing Kay's pet name for the detective.

He sighed, and relented. "Fine. You can look for footprints around the edge of the yard. If you find any, give a yell so I can come over and sketch 'em real quick. There's more snow supposed to be coming in so we've gotta hurry. Speaking of hurry, aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"It's okay! I'm on break."

Gumshoe considered the matter and decided to stick to his job and not worry about Ema's. "Hurry up, pal. Snow's coming."

Ema saluted and rushed off to check the edges of the property, keeping a careful watch for footprints. She found a partial one, half of which had melted on the road. The other half, in the yard, was still visible in the snow. "Gumshoe! I found a print!" She called.

The detective came over a moment later. "Thanks, Pal!" He said, then opened his notebook and started to sketch the footprint. "This'll be a big help."

"And look!" Ema added excitedly. "From here, if whoever stood here was a good throw, they could directly hit the window that's been broken!"

"You'd make a good detective, you know?" Gumshoe asked absently, starting to draw a diagram of where the footprint had been found in the yard, and where the window was located on the building.

Ema just smiled. "Thanks Gumshoe. I better get back to work. They'll be missing me at the office. You'll tell me what you find out, won't you?"

"I'll tell you everything I can, pal." Gumshoe promised. "Or at least everything Mr. Edgeworth will let me tell."

"Thanks, Gumshoe!" Ema said, then she turned and started heading back towards the post office.

(-)

Edgeworth had been intending to meet up with Phoenix for lunch when the hearing he had attended that morning came to an end. But when he came back to his office, he found Klavier waiting in the anteroom for him.

"Good day, Klavier," Edgeworth said, switching to German so that his secretary who was still sitting at her desk couldn't understand them. "I'm surprised to see you up."

Klavier still looked worn, but considerably better then the last time Edgeworth had seen him. "I have a question for you, if you don't mind."

"Of course I don't. Come in." Edgeworth said, leading the way into his office. Klavier followed him in.

Once the door was closed behind them, Edgeworth gestured to a chair in front of his desk. "Have a seat." He said, taking a seat behind his desk.

Klavier sat down, pulling his plum-colored trench coat closer around him. "I want to write my brother. But I don't know if I can, since..." He didn't finish the statement, but they both knew what he meant.

"Have you written to him before?"

"No. I was…we didn't part on the best of terms. But Munich has been bombed. I want to know Kristoph is still alive. But I don't know if I can write him anymore."

Edgeworth nodded, considered the matter, and nodded again. "Write the letter, and mail it. If it gets returned, bring it here. I'll deal with figuring why it would be returned. And if anyone else gives you problems," They both know who might cause problems about it, "let me know."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me." Edgeworth said. "My sister went overseas to help with the war. I know what it's like wondering if the person you care about is doing alright."

Klavier nodded, and department a moment later.

(-)

Edgeworth was still early for his meeting with Phoenix at the Summer Sun Café. The defense attorney was right on time.

"You ever wonder how the name of this place works when there's so much snow outside?" Phoenix asked as he dropped down into his usual seat across from Edgeworth and picked up the menu.

"I heard once that it was only intended to be open through the summer." Edgeworth replied.

"Yeah, and here it is, December, and we're still sitting here. I don't think this place has ever been closed." Phoenix said.

Edgeworth closed his menu and set it at the side of the table. "I had a visit from Klavier today."

"Really? I wondered when he would be by."

"What were you thinking, letting him out of the house, Wright? He shouldn't be up yet."

Phoenix set his menu on top of Edgeworth's and wondered why he even bothered looking at it. He was going to order the chicken, as always. The usual waitress probably had his order memorized. "I trust him not to overdo it."

"You should have told him to stay home."

"To be honest, I said he should talk to you, but I didn't know he was going to do it today. Will he be able to write home?"

"I told him to try it, and if he had any problems to let me know." Edgeworth replied.

"Good, then I maybe I can get the address he sends the letter too and have it in case I need it."

"Why would you need that?" Edgeworth asked.

"I thought I was going to need it while he was sick, actually. Even Trucy didn't get as bad as he did."

"He came back from it quickly."

"I know, thankfully. That could have been very bad." Phoenix said.

There's nothing more that can be said about it. The pair turns their conversation to other things as they wait for the waitress to return and take their orders.

(-)

When Phoenix comes home that evening, he does a quick headcount of his three children. Apollo is in the kitchen; Klavier's sickness having promoted him back to the position of cook for the family. Trucy is sitting in the living room. The radio is turned on to some big band music, and she has her homework spread out in front of her. School has adjourned for the rest of the year, but there are still things she needs to make up from the time she was sick. Klavier is curled up on the couch, sleeping.

This is good, Phoenix thinks. Everyone is here, where they should be. It fills him with a sense of relief he can't name.

(-)

Usually by this point in the year, Trucy would be planning when everyone would be coming over to decorate the tree, but this year, by universal agreement, the Wright family is not celebrating the holiday. There will still be a dinner on Christmas day, but no Christmas tree, and no exchanging presents. Tire rubber is too precious to use driving to a farm to get a Christmas tree.

But when Apollo goes out on the front porch the next morning to get the eggs (the eggs still come in; Lotta has plenty of deliveries of foodstuffs that have to be made in town) he finds a pine tree leaning against the house. There's a card attached to it. He reads the card quickly, then goes back in. "Trucy, someone left something for you." He calls.

The card tied to a tree with a piece of twine reads, " _Merry Christmas, Trucy. From Uncle Miles_."

 **= End 1942 =**

* * *

 **[A/N:]** I can't believe that in-universe it's been two years already.

I find it humorous that Phoenix describes himself, in comparison to Maya's loves of burgers, as being a grilled chicken sandwich person. That's insightful, right there.

I can't think of anything I'm supposed to really say here, since this is the end-of-year chapter. The title comes from Casting Crowns' song "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" which is about a thousand times better then the original, in my opinion.

Please review.


	33. Phases of the Moon

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 33: Phases of the Moon**

 **~ 1943 ~**

 _Winter_

 _Munich, Germany_

Lt. Mander is convinced that Kristoph Gavin is the spy he is looking for.

The problem is he has no proof.

In the beginning of the year, he arranges for the Gestapo to stop Kristoph and search him. Kristoph is leaving the office a little later than the others – not very late by Kristoph's standards; he's been known to leave the office in the middle of the night if he thinks things haven't been finished and that it's his job to stay and finish them – but for him seven o'clock is hardly late.

The stairs at the office are tall and steep, because of how old the building is. They don't do Kristoph's knee any favors, and as usual, he uses his cane when he leaves the office.

Lt Mander was sitting on a bench near the corner where Kristoph usually turns to go home. He pretends to read a newspaper. He expects that when the Gestapo agents search Kristoph, they will find some proof of the Pfalzgraf's treachery, and he wants to be there when it happens. He's already planning on how he can get himself appointed as part of the firing squad…

"Halt!" The Gestapo agent pops out of nowhere and Kristoph comes to a stop. Not that he'd be able to flee, anyway. Putting Kristoph's office on the second floor of the building was a good idea. Mander was starting to regret that he hadn't left Kristoph banished to the third floor.

The Pfalzgraf will not be able to run from this tonight.

"Let me see your papers, right now!"

Seemingly undisturbed, Kristoph reaches into his Ulster coat, and reappeared with a small black folio that he handed to the other man. The Gestapo agent took one look at them, and then handed them back. "Very well. Continue on your way."

"Thank you," Kristoph replied, and walked off.

Mander crumpled the paper in a sudden spurt of anger. Of course. He should have known that the position Kristoph held was high enough that there would need to be more than just suspicion to go after Gavin. And he should have warned the officer to search Gavin regardless of what his employment papers said.

But he was still put out, and was starting to seriously consider if maybe it was time to have that particular officer reassigned to the Russian Front.

(-)

That night, Kristoph sits in his kitchen and waits for Calisto to arrive. The back and forth between the Underground with Franziska von Karma and the plan to raid the offices is finally come to an end. There had been several hold ups; both delays in communication and in establishing the final amount of the poison that should be used, but Kristoph is finally satisfied with the work he's done, and Franziska is finally ready to implement the plan.

Calisto will have the riskiest part of the mission now. On the table is a small wooden box. Inside are several bottle of poison, carefully wrapped to ensure that none of them break. Calisto is the one who will carry the box with the vials of poison back to the rest of the Underground for them to utilize.

Kristoph fixes a dinner of cold meat and bread, and is just pouring himself a glass of wine when he hears a tapping at the door in back of the kitchen. He sets the wine bottle down, picks up his cane, and goes to answer the door. Calisto knows better than to enter without his being aware that she is coming.

Sure enough, he opened the door to find Calisto there. "Let me in, it's cold out here." She demands, pushing past him.

Kristoph closed the door and followed her through the kitchen and to the kitchen table. He pointed out the wooden box sitting on the far end, away from his food. "That is what the Underground is waiting for." He said.

Calisto picked up the box and turned it over. "Exciting times," she said with a wide grin. She tucked into her bag. "So, what are you drinking and why haven't you offered me any?"

"I am drinking a simple red wine with my dinner. You aren't allowed to have any; because you're working."

"One glass will not be a problem for me while I'm working." Calisto said, leaning against the table. "Long day at work?"

"There's a speech by Hitler on tonight. This glass," He tapped the glass by his plate. "Is my warm up. I'll have the rest of the bottle during the speech. Makes it bearable that way." Normally he avoided the Fuhrer's speeches, but more and more of late, people in the office have begun to ask if he's heard the latest speeches, and now he needs to be somewhat aware of them to help maintain his cover.

Calisto cackled like a hyena, and then picked up her bag. She swiped his glass and swallowed it in three gulps. "Not a bad wine. But …based on how your day will be going tomorrow, you might want something stronger than wine."

"I've considered that." Kristoph said coolly. "I think that since it's going to be such a dramatic day tomorrow, I'll stick to the wine."

Calisto shrugged. "Suit yourself." She laughed. "But then, you always do."

Kristoph frowned, and pushed his glasses back up. Calisto ignored him and headed for the door. "'Til next time!" She called out. She vanished out of sight and then Kristoph heard the kitchen door slam.

He picked up the wineglass and set it in the sink. He took a new one out of the cupboard, sat down, and poured himself a new glass. Then he began to eat.

A speech tonight, and poisoned water tomorrow. It was going to be a long couple of days. At least tonight he would listen to the speech while working in his office.

In addition to the wine, it would be much easier to tune Hitler out if there was something else that Kristoph could put his mind to.

(-)

Kristoph took only a few small sips of water while he was at his job the next day. If everything had gone according to the Underground's plan, the water is laced with poison.

He knows more than most of the Underground about what's going to happen and he's not looking forward to it.

Because he keeps his water intake to the barest minimum, he manages to make it through the day even as his coworkers keep claiming to not feel well and start to leave early. Kristoph makes it all the way home. He even manages to make it upstairs to his room, take his jacket off, and untie the ribbon around his neck before he has to go running into the bathroom to vomit.

His last coherent thought is that this is the opening salvo; from here things will only get worse. At least he knows he hasn't taken enough to have worry about whether or not he'll keep breathing.

But this is still going to be misery.

(-)

Lt. Mander is not happy when he's recalled to the War Office that evening. An entire office has fallen ill, with no discernible reason why. He shows up with a team composed of his own men and several Gestapo agents to investigate the matter.

He doesn't know that his arrival has thrown off a plan to raid the building. All he knows is that something has gone wrong and he needs to figure out what.

He dispatches several of his men to try and get to the bottom of why the sickness has taken hold. There have been no reports of similar cases from anyone who has not been working in this office, so Mander thinks it must be sabotage. Probably the work of the Underground, he decides dourly. Then he splits up his remaining men and they go find everyone who worked in the building today. They will make sure that everyone who was here working today has been found and taken to get medical help.

The first place he himself intends to look is at the home of Kristoph Gavin.

(-)

Kristoph has no idea how long he's been lying on the bathroom floor when hear noises downstairs. There's nothing he can do about it, so he tries to ignore it.

It's odd, he thinks, because he was sure he'd locked his front door when he came in. But he doesn't worry too much about it. He has other things to worry about, like not being sick again. That's his main concern at the moment.

Then he hears someone enter the room. "Herr Gavin? I am Dr. Holtzer." The new voice says, rolling him on to his back. "We've come to help."

The next thought in Kristoph's mind is, _There goes Fraulein von Karma's great plan_. Holtzer is attached very loosely to the local branch of the Gestapo and the Abwehr, which means that the plan to raid the offices has been stopped before it could be begun. But he pushes that thought away. He has to play his present roll of an innocent victim, sick from poison, through to the end.

Really, it's not like at this point he has any choice anyway.

(-)

Lt. Mander is not happy.

He sits in the office of War Communications that night, having returned from helping his men complete their work, and fumes.

He had been convinced that Gavin was the spy. But now that the other man is in the hospital, with the same symptoms of poisoning that the others who work in this office have, he can't be sure.

If Kristoph Gavin knew that the water was poisoned, for they had done a chemical test and determined that the well that the building connected to had indeed been tampered with, why would he drink the water? It could be just to throw off suspicion. But what man would suffer through poisoning like that if he knew it was coming?

It was a puzzle that Mander could not get to the bottom of. The rest of the men he had brought with him were still tracking the remainder of the people who worked here, making sure that they were still alive, and bringing in for questioning those who had been absent that day.

He didn't like it at all.

(-)

Kristoph is hospitalized for the next three days, and then he's sent home to continue to recuperate. That he made it home qualifies him as one of the Lucky Ones, again. It's a title he's getting rather tired of.

The afternoon of the first day he's home, the door gong rings. Kristoph had been in his room, with the curtains drawn, trying to rest. When he hears the gong, he sighs, wraps himself in his robe and goes downstairs to answer the door. It takes a moment for him to place the face standing there with a name. He chalks that up to the fact that he's still recovering. But then he's able to place his visitor: Heidi von Metz.

She doesn't wait for him to speak, instead she holds out a letter to him. "I heard from Klavier the other day. In his note, he asked me to bring this to you, but I was told you were in the hospital until last night."

Kristoph accepts the envelope from her. What in heaven's name was Klavier thinking? "Thank you, Fraulein von Metz. Keep this between us, please?"

"Naturally." She said. There's no one else she would tell, anyway. "But I do want to let Frau Dreier know I've heard from him."

Kristoph has not mentioned anything to Frau Dreier about Klavier's whereabouts or the letters, forged to look like Klavier's handwriting, that he gets periodically from Switzerland. So there's probably no harm in her knowing. Those forged letters are more for the benefit of Lt. Mander's men who are reading Kristoph's mail. "Very well. But only her."

"Don't worry." Heidi smiled grimly. "I know how to keep a secret. So does Frau Dreier." She gave a brief curtsy – her mother had taught her the social graces once, a long time ago – and turned to leave.

Kristoph closes the door and turns the envelope over in his hands.

This is quite an unexpected development.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** I gotta hand it to him, when Mander starts a grudge match, he keeps it going. Don't forget that Pfalzgraf is the noble title that the Gavin family used to have before the Wiemar republic. I left it untranslated because "Count Palatine" is just weird sounding in English.

So I have a question: does anyone have any suggestions as to why the story has been titled "Certain Demolitions?" There was a reason I choose the title.

Alright, I don't think that there is anything else I need to mention here (which is just as well; the notes for the next chapter are gonna be a doozy.)

Please review!

 _12-29-17_


	34. The First Country the Nazis Invaded

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 34: The First Country the Nazis Invaded**

In January, a new movie comes to the local theaters. Ingrid Berman is in it, so when Trucy sees the advertisement she decides she wants to go. Trucy isn't sure yet, but she thinks Ingrid Berman might be her favorite actress.

"But I don't want to go alone," Trucy said. She'd stopped by the post office on her way home to talk to Ema. They were the only two there; the rest of the place was deserted. "Do you want to come to the movie tonight?"

"You're talking about Casablanca, right? I've seen the posters for it."

"Yes!"

"Of course I'll go." Ema agreed. "After dinner tonight, why don't you come to my house and we can walk over and see it?" Living in town, Ema lived closer to the theater then Trucy, who lived outside of town.

Trucy clapped her hands together. "I can't wait! I'm going to ask Polly and Klavier if they want to come, too."

"You don't have to ask Klavier…" Ema started to say, but Trucy was already gone. She sighed. The door opened and another customer came in and she turned her attention back to her work.

(-)

"A movie?" Apollo asked at dinner that night, putting a hand on his forehead. He's not a big movie fan, though he watches one every once in a while. Movies tend to set off his ability to detect lies, and spending an hour staring a screen with his detection abilities going nonstop is not his idea of a good time. There's a very fine line for him between being engrossed in the movie to the point he can ignore the warning signs in his brain and being entirely aware that everyone on the screen was lying to act in their roles. Some movies are easier for him to handle than others.

"Yes! It's been a long time since we've seen one." Trucy said excitedly, spearing peas with her fork. The peas had been canned last summer. She looked at Phoenix and Klavier. "Daddy? Klavier? Do you want to come?"

"I'm going to stay home tonight, Trucy." Phoenix said. "But thank you for asking me."

"I will go with you." Klavier said.

"I guess I'll come too." Apollo said.

Phoenix finished his last bite of potatoes. "If you're going to the movies, then you're going to have to hurry to be on time. I'll handle the dishes tonight."

"Thanks, Daddy!" Trucy said excitedly. "We'd better get going."

They set out once dinner was finished. It's chilly out, so the trio dressed for the walk. Trucy wore her blue down jacket and white scarf tucked into her coat. Apollo's coat is red accented with white and blue. He wore gloves but no scarf. Klavier wore his plum colored trench coat with a grey scarf, but unlike Trucy, he let his scarf trail behind his coat.

Ema was sitting on the front step of her house when they arrived. Her coat is white, and her gloves are too.

"Have you been outside long, Fraulein?" Klavier asked when they saw her.

"Not too long. Lana left earlier. She didn't have dinner; she's meeting up with Mr. Edgeworth tonight." Ema told them as she stood up and came to join them.

They walked the rest of the way to the movie theater in silence; it was only two blocks down from where Ema and Lana lived, towards the edge of the town.

Apollo was the first to see the poster on the side of the theater. "Casablanca? Is this a war movie?"

"Does Hollywood make anything that isn't a war movie these days?" Ema asked.

Apollo sighed. "I go to the movies to get away from reality, not immersed in it more."

"So then why do you read the _Red Badge of Courage_?" Klavier asked, with a sly look on his face.

"That's about the Civil War, not the present war." Apollo pointed out. "And how would you know? Have you ever read it?"

"Nein, but I have seen advertisements for it before, and so I knew it was a war story." Klavier said as they entered the building.

They purchased tickets and went into the theater, which was starting to fill up. They found four seats together in the middle of the theater, at the end of the row next to the aisle. When they had all taken their seats, Trucy was sitting furthest from the aisle, then Apollo, then Ema, and Klavier sat at the end of the row.

(-)

Ema was engrossed in the movie almost as soon as it began, trying to figure out the relationship between Ilsa and Rick. She watched without thinking until the German officers at Rick's Café start singing a German song she can't recognize. Victor storms down from Rick's office and demands that the band in the café start singing another song. She hears the name but doesn't recognize it either.

Next to her, Klavier stiffened.

Ema watches as the whole café starts singing the song that Victor leads them in.

Klavier stood up, took his coat and scarf, and departed. Ema saw this out of the corner of her eye, but doesn't register it at the time.

It isn't until later in the movie, when Ilsa is holding Rick at gunpoint, that she realized that Klavier has still not returned from wherever it is he's gone. She leaned over and poked Apollo's arm. "Klavier's gone. I'm going to find out where he went."

He nods, and Ema stood up. She debated the merits of leaving her coat, but Klavier took his. She takes hers as well.

Outside the theater proper, she can hear the sounds of the movie going on inside, and sounds of the movie in the second theater in the building. The hallway in between them is empty. Ema wandered back into the lobby, but the only one out there is the ticket clerk, still behind her counter.

"Excuse me," Ema said, going up to the window. "I'm looking for a friend of mine who came through here. He's blond, probably was wearing a purple coat."

"He went outside." The clerk replied.

"Thanks," Ema said, and went out the door. At first glance once she's outside, she can't see Klavier anywhere.

"Is the movie already over Fraulein?" She heard Klavier ask, and she spun around to see him sitting on the ground, his back against the building. The eaves of the building have prevented snow form accumulating there, so he's sitting on a patch of bare ground.

"It wasn't when I left. Are you alright?"

"Of course, Fraulein. I'm fine."

"You left kind of abruptly. I wondered why. Did you not like the movie?"

"It was alright."

Ema sat down next to him. "You are going to get your coat dirty, Ema."

"The dirt's frozen. Nothing will stick." She retorted, drawing her legs up closer. Klavier had an advantage with his trench coat, at least, it was longer then hers. He probably wasn't quite as cold as she was. "Klavier, what's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong."

"Something is, or you wouldn't be out here." Ema said. "You'd be back watching the movie…" Then it all clicks into place in her mind. The movie. That's it. "This is about the Nazis in that movie isn't it? There was no character from Germany in that movie who wasn't a Nazi."

For a moment, there was silence between them. Then Klavier said, "When I came to America, I met two people from France, a young mother and her son. They were French Jews, who were fleeing France after my country took it over. I wonder if they looked at me and saw a Nazi too."

He remembers Sarah and Peter, and how after they had disembarked the ship, he had taken some of the money Kristoph had packed in his trunk – for Kristoph always gave him money before he left the country – and given it to them. Klavier thinks of Sarah's wretched gratefulness, her tears, her kissing his hand, and wonders what's become of them. Sarah had said that the money would help them get settled in America. He has no idea what's become of them now.

But then again, when had he ever known the fates of those he's stopped to help?

"Klavier…" Ema started, then stopped. Then she asked, "All of those people in Casablanca wanted to come America." They wanted it so much. "Was it like that for you when you came? Were you desperate to leave and excited to come?"

"It was not. I did not want to leave Germany. I was busy when I left and I think if I had stayed I would still be busy."

"Busy doing what?'

"Smuggling Jews through Munich."

Ema swung around to look at him, her mouth agape. "What?"

"If your country ever decides to deport me and you decide you want to make sure I don't come back, tell Prosecutor Debeste. I'm sure he'll make sure they know it in Berlin." Klavier said, anger edging his voice. "I helped a friend smuggle Jews out of Munich. I helped arrange and purchase fake papers to smooth their transit. I helped them get to where they needed to go so they could be hidden. That is what I was doing the day Kristoph walked in and announced that I was going to America. But as Kristoph told me later, I wasn't going to be able to stay. He said I had been drafted and would be joining the Army. I don't know if that's true, though. I never saw my draft notice."

"I asked once what Kristoph said that made you not try and go back." Ema said quietly. "Was that it? He told you you were going to be drafted?"

"That is not it. Let me tell you the story of how I came to America, Ema, and I will answer that question for you as well."

* * *

 **~xXx~**

* * *

 _Kiel, Germany_

 _Late Summer, 1941_

"Let's go, Klavier. There's a stop I've been asked to make while we're out today."

They leave the park and go back to the main road, where they are able to find a taxi. Kristoph tried to avoid buses whenever he possibly can, even if it means paying a more expensive fare.

They ride in a silence that Klavier believes is companionable, until he catches glimpse of a sign and realizes that they are going to the docks. Still he waits to vent his anger on his brother until the taxi driver has been paid and departed. They are left standing only a short distance from the gangplank.

"I told you I was not going to America." Klavier says. The venom in his tone is almost palpable; he's furious.

Kristoph ignores his tone and looms over him. "What a pity that that is exactly where you are going."

Klavier turns on his heel and starts to walk away. "I'm going back to the hotel."

"And what do you think you will do when you get there?" Kristoph asks. "I have already had all your things sent to your room on board this ship."

"All…?" Klavier asked, a sudden sinking feeling coming over him. He turns to face Kristoph again.

"Yes, including your precious guitar, Klavier. Everything you had in that hotel room is now on this ship." Kristoph said, then saw the look on his little brother's face. "You're an adult, Klavier. Don't you dare make a scene over this."

"How strange that I'm only an adult when it suits your purposes for me to be one. The rest of the time I'm the child you tell what to do. Which is it, Kristoph?! It can't be both!"

"Regardless of what age I need you to be at any given moment," Kristoph retorts, and now they're both angry. "You are a Gavin and I expect you always to comport yourself in a manner befitting your ancestry."

"Yes, your other speech that I have memorized. None of it matters anymore! This country is not a monarchy now. Heritage is irrelevant." In the past, he's tried to reason with Kristoph, like he would if he were already a lawyer. Now he doesn't care anymore.

Kristoph, as it turns out, doesn't care either.

"Your blue-blooded heritage combined with the fortune you were born into," Kristoph fires back, "Is the only reason you're not a starving second-rate musician living on the streets." This is a low blow and a lie, and they both know it. Klavier was ten when his music instructor stopped teaching him and told Kristoph that Klavier had mastered everything the instructor could teach and the next option would be sending Klavier to a musical conservatory. And Klavier has been using his guitar to earn money on the side since he was fifteen, regardless of what country he happened to be in. He never had problems finding work once word of his skills gets around.

Before the conversation can get any worse, a man in white clothes appears behind Kristoph. "Is there a problem here? I'm Captain Lund, in charge of this ship."

"There is not a problem." Kristoph says, and the look he sends Klavier over the rims of his glasses is an obvious warning. Klavier crosses his arms over his chest and looks away.

It's not worth talking about anymore. Klavier has already decided that he will go onto that ship, for the moment, at least long enough to get his guitar back. Then he would disembark again. There was no way Kristoph could make him stay on board.

So he follows the Captain and Kristoph on board the ship, through the great halls and wide staircases, past dining salons and lounges for the First Class passengers. The ship is Swedish, and has stopped in Kiel only to pick up some passengers and cargo.

The First Class stateroom that the captain proudly shows them to is set on one of the upper decks, in the middle of hall of identical rooms. "This will be your room for the trip." Lund tells Klavier.

Klavier can see his two bags in a corner of the room and his guitar case is at the foot of the bed. His trunk is nowhere to be seen, so it's probably in the closet. It's a spacious room, pleasantly furnished, but Klavier notices none of this at the time. Instead he focuses on the guitar.

"I think you'll be very comfortable here." Kristoph said behind him. Klavier doesn't turn, and he doesn't give any visible reaction when Kristoph shoves him forward, over the threshold and into the room. "Get good grades, Klavier, and I'll see you when you get home."

"Goodbye, Kristoph," Klavier said coolly, without turning around.

"Goodbye Klavier." Kristoph said politely. The sound of retreating footsteps behind him tells him that the captain and Kristoph have left.

Klavier goes to his guitar case and sets it on the bed. Then he waits a few minutes, until he's sure Kristoph is off the ship. He takes his guitar case and leaves, going back the way he's come.

He doesn't waste time getting off the ship, but back on the dock, he's a few moments too late spotting his brother. He sees the blue suit and blond hair, and then Kristoph turns and looks shocked when he sees Klavier standing behind him.

"I am not going to America." Klavier told him firmly. "And I don't care how long you stand there and adjust your glasses. I am not going."

For a moment Kristoph looks like he intends to say something, then he takes a deep breath and straightens his fingers without taking his hand off his cane. Then he grabs his cane again and says, "Don't you think we should go back and get your bags, then?"

"Not going to fight me about it?" Klavier asked suspiciously.

"Since I can't really drag you on board the ship, I guess you're not going. Come on. Let's go get your things back off the ship. After you." Kristoph gestures to the ship, and after a long moment Klavier turns and goes back up the gangplank. A quick glance behind him shows that Kristoph is following him, which eases Klavier's mind somewhat.

"We will have to get a porter to get your trunk." Kristoph says thoughtfully, and looks like he's trying to figure out where they could get a porter in the middle of things being loaded and unloaded from the ship.

They arrive back at the stateroom. Klavier goes in and takes his first bag.

"There." Kristoph says behind him, and he turns to see Kristoph walking on down the hall. "Porter!" His brother calls.

Klavier figures his brother has gone to find someone to move his trunk, and turns his attention back to figuring out how he can take both bags at once along with his guitar case. He doesn't want to waste any time getting off the ship.

His bags are against the wall though, so he can't see the hallway, and he's startled when he hears the door slam behind him. Klavier turns, a sinking feeling in his stomach. The door is shut. He runs over to it and tries to turn the handle.

The door is locked. And there's no latch on the inside for him to turn to unlock the door; it will only lock and unlock with the key.

Klavier doesn't have the key.

"Kristoph!" He shouts, and bangs on the door. "Kristoph! Open the door."

For a moment he's afraid his brother is already gone, or can't hear him, but then he hears Kristoph's reply. "No, Klavier. I won't open the door."

"Kristoph! Let me out!" Klavier shouts.

"You are going to America." Kristoph replies calmly. "I was never suggesting that you go, Klavier. You will go to America."

"I have things to do here, Kristoph." Klavier calls out to him. "And you need me here too!"

"I get by just fine when you're in school, this will be no different. I need you to not be in Germany until this war is over." Kristoph said.

There's a door between them, so Klavier can't see his brother's face. "Did you ever think that the fact there's a war on is the reason I should stay here?"

"You're wrong, Klavier." Kristoph replies, and his voice is cold. "You don't get to stay here anymore. Your draft notice came in the mail a few days ago. You've been summoned to join the Army. So unless you feel like laying your life down for a madman's ideals, you're going to America."

"There has to be another way." Klavier called back.

"There isn't, Klavier. Enough of these foolish discussions. You're going to go to America."

"You never told me I was being drafted. You never let me try and find some way out of it." Klavier calls back, suddenly angry. Maybe if he had known sooner, there was something he could have done. "You never told me anything! You can't just make me leave!"

Kristoph slams his hand fist against the door, and Klavier jumps back involuntarily. "You are not going to be the next sacrifice I lay on the altar of whatever lunatic happens to be running Germany at the moment!" Kristoph shouts, and now Klavier knows that his brother is truly angry. "This family has sacrificed enough in every senseless war every fool of a Kaiser or Fuhrer has gotten Germany in to. Our wealth depleted, our nobility lost, our family's blood poured out on foreign soil. You will not be next!"

Klavier is stunned. "Kristoph…"

"Go to America, Klavier." Kristoph cuts him off, sounding tired. "At least when you are over there, I won't have to wonder about whether or not you're out on some battlefield somewhere dying."

Klavier throws himself at the door again. "Come with me!" He begs.

"What?"

"Come with me!" Klavier repeats. "Let's leave together, then."

There's no immediate answer, and Klavier begins to wonder if Kristoph will agree. Then he hears his brother again. "No. I have work to do here."

"It won't be safe!"

"I won't be drafted. I'm a cripple, remember?"

"That won't you protect you from the rest of the war!" Klavier calls, and they are both thinking of a bomb that had fallen on Germany in the Great War and done no damage until years after the war was over. It made Kristoph a cripple. He was one of the lucky ones, because he hadn't died, and many others had.

"I have work here that I can't leave."

 _But you'll leave me!_ Klavier thinks urgently, and bangs on the door again. "Kristoph!"

"Enough, Klavier. We're done talking about this. Go to America. Stay there until the war ends."

Klavier yanks on the door again, but the lock won't give. He leans against the wood and slides down to the floor. Outside, he can hear his brother's footsteps as they grow fainter and fainter.

Several hours later, when the ship is well out to sea, one of the crewmembers comes by and realizes that the door is locked. The key had been turned in at the Purser's office, with the man who returned it - a tall man with pale blond hair, blue eyes, and a cane - telling the Purser that he'd found it lying on the floor two decks below. Until they come to unlock it, Klavier stays leaning against the door.

Not long after he had heard Kristoph walk away, he heard the sound of the ship's horn as it pulled away from the dock, taking him away from his home and the only family he had left.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** Hollywood turned out dozens and dozens of movies during the war, all patriotic, all regarding the conflict. Of these movies, Casablanca is probably the best remembered. It came out in December 1942, but it wasn't really widespread until the winter of 1943. I watched it a long time ago – like so long ago I watched it on VHS – and I watched the movie again before I wrote this chapter. I would have to say that Casablanca is probably the best remembered because it crosses so many genres. It has a film noir feel, it's a romance, it's a star-crossed lovers story. Everything you could want in a movie got crammed into this one, and somehow it worked. Ema is painting with broad strokes when she talks about all Germans being Nazis in the movie. There are some minor characters in the film that are German and not Nazi, but these are minor characters. The major German characters are either Nazi or Nazi-affiliated.

The Red Badge of Courage is a pretty famous book, and it is set during the American Civil War. Unlike most books listings that you find in some American paperback books today, in older books there would be a title, and blurb to describe the novel, and sometimes a review of it. You can see this in some older e-books that were converted to digital format. This is what Klavier is referring to.

The ship that takes Klavier to America is from Sweden because Sweden was neutral during the war. I can't remember off the top of my head if a ship from Germany would have been allowed to dock in America at this time, since if memory serves, America was already selling supplies to the Allies.

You can find information going back and forth on whether or not America actually wanted to get involved in fighting the war. Some sources claim that America was in support of the war, which I don't doubt, depending on what is meant by support. I do think there was a lot of support for the British and the non-German aligned countries. This is also why, in the very first chapter, Klavier thinks that Apollo will immediately dislike him because he's German. Americans knew what was going on, even if they didn't see it as their problem (of course, you had the Bund in America too…) ::buries head in hands::: I can't believe that something from chapter one finally came due in chapter 34. This story…

However, I believe that if Pearl Harbor had never happened, the US would have never joined the war as a combatant. Supported the other Allies, maybe, but I don't think that there was a strong desire to get involved in events on the other side of the world. Remember, in WWI the US still didn't get involved until the Zimmerman telegram happened. America stayed out of both wars until something happened that directly affected or involved us.

The money quote in the flashback, or, the thing Klavier alluded to back in Chapter 21 as being the thing Kristoph said that made him decide to not get right back on the next ship back to Germany was, "You will not be the next sacrifice I lay on the altar of whatever lunatic happens to be running Germany at the moment." But really, the whole conversation is loaded with 'don't come back until the war is over' so by the time I was done writing the conversation, it could have been anything. There was a point about the relationship between the brothers that I wanted to make in this chapter. I hope it came across.

An aside about Kristoph here: the German nobility, which the Gavins are in this story, hated Hitler. There were exceptions, of course, there always are. But the nobility viewed the Nazi party as being for the common rabble. This would actually fit Kristoph's cannon personality perfectly. Look how he reacts in-game when he finds out the "common people" will be sitting on a jury (based on the behavior of some juries in real life, though, he ... is... not wrong.) Some of Kristoph's other complaints are just petty, for example, he talks about how the family wealth was depleted, which is true. The Gavins have gone from "outrageously wealthy" to "merely wealthy." But during my research, there was a news paper article I found that speculated that Hitler was intentionally sending the sons of noblemen to the front lines to do the more dangerous work, in what the article implied was a purge of the nobility. Whether Kristoph knew about this or just hated Hitler to the point he decided Klavier was never going to join the war effort, well, I'll leave that up to my readers to decide…for now.

The title for this chapter...remember that quote from "Captain America: The First Avenger" that I mentioned a few chapters ago? That's where this chapter title came from.

I hope that's all the notes. That's all I can think of anyway. Have a Happy New Year if I don't post again before then.

Please review!

 _12-29-17_


	35. The Right to an Eclipse

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 35: The Right to an Eclipse**

When Klavier finished speaking, Ema just sat there, shocked. Then she rallied, and said, "How could he just send you away like that?"

"Ach, Ema, your premise is a mistake. You think he actually cares about me or my opinion." Klavier said bitterly. "Or that I should have any say about what happens in my life."

"Were…were you really going to be sent to war?"

"That is what Kristoph told me. But as I said, I never saw the papers. He may have been lying."

Ema glanced at the German. "Do you think he was lying?"

Klavier did not meet her glance. "No. I think he was telling the truth."

The whole story was a lot to absorb. "Was your family really nobility?"

"Right up until the Weimar Republic. I don't think Kristoph liked living in a republic. He enjoyed being a nobleman."

"And you didn't?"

"I have no reference for being nobility, Ema, other than the stories that Kristoph tells me. I can't miss something I don't remember." Klavier said.

Ema got to her feet and looked down at Klavier. "Do you mind if we walk around a little? I'm cold."

"Of course." Klavier said, standing up.

They drifted across the road, where there was a tiny park with a gazebo. In the summer, families will come here with their kids to have a picnic or play before a movie. But now, at night in winter, the park is cold and deserted.

They wander it in silence until they come to the gazebo. "What were you studying to be, in college?" Ema asked.

"An attorney." Klavier replied. "You never mentioned what you were studying for, either."

Klavier has told her one of his secrets. Ema decides to share one of hers. "I'm studying to go into police work. I want to be a detective!"

"Really?" Klavier asked.

"Yes! Do you know how many women are victims of homicide in this country?! But women still can't really do anything on the police force or investigate any crimes. I'm more qualified to be a victim of homicide then I am to help solve one. But I want to change that. I want to become a detective and help use science to solve crimes!"

Klavier stood there for a moment. Then he smiled.

"Don't you dare laugh at me." Ema warned him.

"Ema, I wasn't going to laugh. You are very passionate about your dream. And it shows." Klavier told her.

Ema looked embarrassed, and looked down at the ground. "I want to help solve crimes. I like helping Gumshoe when he's out investigating. I always know when he's doing it, too. He always has his portfolio that has his notebook in it out." She looked away.

"You shouldn't be embarrassed, Ema. You would be good at being a Detective."

"Thank you." Ema said.

They were silent for a few minutes, the Klavier spoke again. "I thought I saw water while I was on Oak Road today. I didn't know this town was near the ocean."

"We're about a mile and a half from it, but no one really goes there because the trees grow up right up until you hit sand." Ema told him. "Lana told me once that back in the 1800s, fishing was a big industry here, but then a storm came through and destroyed the docks and that was the end of it. When the industry was rebuilt it went further up the coast, because fishing was better up there or something. Some of the area by the water considered a town park, though."

There's more light, suddenly, and the pair looked up to see that across the road the door to the theater had opened and people were starting to trickle out. It was then that Ema realized how close she's standing to Klavier. "We should probably go," She said.

"Yes. It seems that the movie is over." Klavier agreed.

They walked back across the road, and found Apollo and Trucy waiting by the front door. "I was starting to wonder where the two of you were," Apollo said, but that was all he said, and the four of them turned and started for home.

"What did you think of the movie?" Trucy asked as they walked back to Ema's house.

"It wasn't bad." Ema said.

"My eyes are killing me." Apollo admitted as he started to rub them.

Trucy turned to Klavier. "Is "What watch" really how you ask what time it is in German?"

Klavier made a face. "' _Wie viel Uhr'_ is 'What's the time' in German."

"So why were they saying 'What watch' in the movie?" Trucy asked.

"They can't speak it well, perhaps?" He shrugged. "I don't know."

"Maybe they didn't get as much practice in English as you did." Apollo said. "Though I notice you still end up using a lot of German in your sentences."

"Believe me, Kristoph would have had a fit if I went around asking 'What watch' when I meant 'What time is it.'" Klavier told him.

The group arrived back at Ema's house just then. Edgeworth's car was parked out front. "Looks like Lana's back home. She glanced at the other three. "I'll see you later."

"Bye Ema!" Trucy called cheerfully.

The trio walked home in silence after that.

Phoenix was sitting in the living, writing out some legal papers when they came in. "Was the movie any good?" He asked them.

"It was great!" Trucy told him.

"My eyes still hurt." Apollo complained. Klavier said nothing.

It isn't until later that night, when both of them are in bed, that Apollo finally gets a chance to talk to Klavier. "I take it you didn't like the movie?"

"It…wasn't one I think I would watch again." Klavier admitted. Then he turned the question back on Apollo. "How's your head?"

"A good night's sleep will fix my aching eyes." Apollo confessed.

Klavier chuckled. " _Gute Nacht_ , Herr Forehead."

"Good Night, Klavier."

(-)

The call of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps has proved too much for Miles Edgeworth's secretary and she had left in December to join them. So, after the New Year, Edgeworth had had to replace her.

His choice for replacement had been Klavier, much to the chagrin of the town, which after two years had come to tolerate Klavier, even though it wouldn't claim to like him or do much beyond tolerate him. But Edgeworth is very respected, so while no one in the town may like what he's done, no one will say anything against him, either.

No one whose name isn't Phoenix Wright or Franziska von Karma tangles with Miles Edgeworth more than once.

The morning after they see Casablanca, Klavier has to go the post office to mail out some letters that Edgeworth had not completed until after the mail had already been picked up by one of the delivery men. So Klavier puts on his trench coat, scarf, sunglasses, and takes a walk up the post office.

Ema is working behind the desk when he gets there. " _Guten Morgen_ , Fraulein Ema. I need to mail these." Klavier handed her the letters. He has some of the petty cash from the office to pay for the postage.

Ema has the transaction handled in no time. "Listen, I'm glad you came in this morning." Ema said as she handed him his change. "There's something I want to tell you about what you said last night."

Klavier peered over the rim of his sunglasses. "What is it?"

"You said last night that I shouldn't start from the premise that Kristoph cared about you, but I think you're wrong. I think he does care about you, even if he did send you away against your will. He cared enough to try and get you somewhere where you would be safe."

Klavier gave a noncommittal shrug. "Yes, he told me he was going to send me somewhere safe, but he didn't give me a chance to try and change anything. It was about what he thought was best for me."

The bell over the door jingles. Ema pushes the receipt for the stamps across the counter. "Come back at lunch time. I'm not done with what I want to say yet."

"Whatever you wish, Ema. When do you go to lunch?" Klavier asked, tucking the receipt and change into his coat pocket.

"12:30. Meet me at the Sunshine Café, alright?"

Klavier nodded. "I'll be there." Then he turned and headed past the other customer, out the door.

(-)

At 12:32, Ema is sitting in the dining room of the café, her chin on her hands, staring at the silk flower in the rippled vase on the table and wondering if Klavier would show up and if she was making a mistake in what she was doing.

Of course, being the only newcomer in town these last few years, he was also the only one who didn't know what had happened with her and her sister.

 _I wish I could have kept it that way, too_ , she thought, but she didn't very far in that line of thinking before Klavier came through the doorway and approached the table.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting, Ema." He said as he took the other seat at the table.

Suddenly she's nervous. How had Klavier managed to stay sane while telling her that rotten story the other night? "Let's order first, and then we can talk."

"Good idea. We both have to be back to work in an hour." Klavier agreed. He slipped out of his coat and started looking at the menu.

Once they've both given their orders, though, Ema fidgets with the silk flower again before she starts.

"Listen, I wanted to tell you that just because your older sibling is cold, doesn't mean that they don't still care. A few years ago, I was at the courthouse, and someone was murdered there. I was…at the scene of the crime when it happened, and my sister helped to cover up the crime, but I didn't know it at the time. She was getting blackmailed by someone else at the courthouse.

"After the murder, I felt really bad, because Lana had changed so much. I thought she blamed me for what happened. But years later, I learned that she had gotten so cold because she was trying to protect me. Someone had threatened to frame me for the murder if Lana didn't help him cover up what had actually happened. But Mr. Wright helped us clear things up, and then Lana and I were able to act like real sisters again. So…just because it seems like your brother doesn't care because he treated really coldly, he still might. He might just be trying to protect you."

"Ema…" Klavier said. He gave her a gentle smile. "Thank you."

The waitress returned at that moment with their orders, and the conversation turned to safer subjects.

Klavier thought about what Ema said as he walked back to work.

He understands why she told him what she did. It doesn't make him feel a great deal better; at this point the only thing that will make him feel better is a letter from Kristoph. But he understands what she was trying to do.

And he appreciates it a great deal.

(-)

When Ema comes home from the post office the day after that, there's a package with her name on it sitting on the porch. There's nothing on it to indicate the sender.

Ema takes it inside with her and lays it on the kitchen table while she stats dinner. Lana had told her to expect her to be late.

When she has the food started, she takes the package up to her room and closes the door. Then she unties the string around it and takes the brown paper off.

Inside, she finds a notebook. It's like the one Detective Gumshoe uses, but nicer. Instead of being brown cloth, it's made of fine black leather. Gumshoe's ties together, but this one has tab closure on it. The edge of the tab is lined with silver tone metal, making it stand out, and centered near the bottom is a silver-tone square with her initials – ES - on it in swirling script.

Ema slides the tab out and opens the notebook. It's refillable, like Gumshoe's is, and there's a blank book in it already. There's a loop for a pen, too. There are two pockets on the inside of the journal cover, and in one of them there's a folded sheet of paper. She slides it out, unfolds it, and read the message.

 _Ema,_

 _Ich denke, du wirst ein großer Detektiv sein._

 _I think you will make a great detective._

 _Klavier G._

The G on the note is stylized, like the G on the necklace he wears. Then it all starts to blur. Ema blinked to clear her eyes, tucked the note back into the pocket she'd taken it out of, and then, overcome with emotion, holds the book to her chest for a long time.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** The title for this chapter comes from the following Les Miserables quote:

 _Peoples, like planets, possess the right to an eclipse. And all is well, provided that the light returns and that the eclipse does not degenerate into night. Dawn and resurrection are synonymous._

In the game, I know Ema's thing was that she wanted to go into forensics, but I haven't found a great deal of information that would cause me to think that forensic science would have been a thing in this time period. There was some forensics, but not forensics as the field we think of today, so I made her want to be a detective instead. While there were some female detectives, if my understanding is correct, this would have been a job that Ema would have been highly discouraged to take up. While some women did work with police at this time, it was not widespread and acceptance of women in the role of detectives and officers was not widespread.

The "What Watch" scene info comes fromTV Tropes. While the conversation that's translated in Casablanca is correct in German (and I've been studying German since I started this story, so I don't doubt that for a moment) it really doesn't make much sense in English.

I don't have too much else to say about this chapter. I wasn't planning another update so soon, but I surprised myself by getting another chapter done last night, so have an update!

Happy 2018! Please review!


	36. Apogee of the Moon

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 36: Apogee of the Moon**

"What were you expecting?"

Kristoph lowered his pen and gave Calisto a long look. "That is not helping."

She snorted with laughter. "You send your little brother away to America, against his will, and don't communicate with him at all for…how long has it been now? What year is this, 1943? So you're going on no contact for almost two years now." Calisto said, resuming her pacing up and down in front of Kristoph's desk in his office at his home. "Honestly, I'm surprised it took him this long to write."

"At least he had the good sense to write that von Metz girl, and not write here directly." Kristoph grumbled. The last time he was this displeased with his little brother, it had been when Klavier had come back from school with one of his ears pierced. That was the last time he had let Klavier go to school in Czechoslovakia, the better to prevent him from wandering the forests on the weekends and interacting with Gypsies who would pierce his ear for him.

"I heard that the send off was a little rough." Calisto said, and started to laugh.

"Yes, he seemed to think I was giving him an option to go to America, when it wasn't." Kristoph said, adjusting his glasses. Now that the German forces at Stalingrad had surrendered, he felt enormously justified in his decision to send Klavier away.

Calisto made a half-hearted effort to stop her laughing, then gave up and started to cackle. "I wish I could have been there to see you lock the door on him."

"I'm glad you're amused." Kristoph told her, his voice like ice. _Klavier may have hated me for it, but I note that he is alive to hate me._

Calisto made a concerted effort and stopped laughing. "I don't know what you were expecting." She repeated. "Are you at least going to write him back?"

"That is what I was working on when you came in." Kristoph said. "And I'm going to tell him that if he must write again, he can direct his letters to Misham in Switzerland."

On a narrow side table against the wall near the door of the office stood a blue bottle of perfume with a gold atomizer on it. Calisto picked it up and turned it over in her hands. "Night? Where did you get this?"

"It was a gift." Kristoph said without looking up from his letter. "I was told it was very popular in France before the war."

Calisto squeezed that atomizer and released a spray of perfume in the air. She sniffed it as it dissipated in the air. "It smells nice."

"Was that really necessary?" Kristoph asked.

"I don't know why you would keep a bottle of perfume here." Calisto said, setting it back down.

"A reminder to stay out of Hammelburg until the war is over." Kristoph muttered. He finished the letter and folded it. "If I find out that you or Misham read this, I won't be happy." He warned Calisto as he pulled an envelope out of one of the lower drawers in his desk and slid the letter inside. He addressed it, sealed it and then handed the envelope to her. "Take that to Misham. Tell him to post it to the address written on it." From another drawer in his desk, he pulled out another envelope, this one with money in it, and handed it to her.

She took both envelopes and gave him a mock salute. "Until next time."

"Yes, until next time." Kristoph replied, already turning his attention to the next piece of correspondence on his desk.

(-)

Since the poisoning incident, for which three people had been shot but during which no information had turned up missing from any of the affected offices – for similar poisoning incidents had taken place during the same time at other vital war stations in Munich – Lt. Mander has come up with no evidence against Kristoph Gavin, and has started keeping his suspicions to himself. Well, to himself and Corporal Berger.

Information that should be private still keeps ending up in the hands of the British and the Underground. Mander is not happy about this.

Berger did not like hearing Lt. Mander's complaints about Kristoph, but he was outranked by the other man and out of luck on that front. Berger thought that Kristoph was a dedicated employee of the Reich, and he couldn't understand Mander's suspicions.

They were sitting at a table at a café. This café was frequented by many employees of the War Communication Office due to its proximity to the office. Workers of the Reich stopped by for anything from a lunch to a cup of coffee or a newspaper.

Mander and Berger are having lunch when the door opened and Kristoph walked in. They watched as he went to the counter and purchased a newspaper. "Someday, I'm going to prove that Pfalzgraf Gavin is the traitor who's selling us out." Mander said, watching Kristoph's actions with great interest.

"Why do you keep calling him Pfalzgraf? He doesn't go by the title. He goes by Herr Gavin." Berger asked. Kristoph hadn't even seen them. He departed the café a moment later.

"I know. And I would never call him Pfalzgraf to his face." Mander said. "But he is the type who holds great stock in the fact that his family was nobility. And he's the spy. Someone is still selling us out. Pfalzgraf Gavin is the main suspect."

"But why?" Berger asked, looking confused. "Do you have any proof?"

"Not yet." Mander said. "But I will."

"So you don't have any evidence but you think that Kristoph Gavin is the spy?" Berger looked something between confused and annoyed.

"There will be proof. I have had agents examining all of the Pfalzgraf's mail." Lt Mander pulled a strip of paper out of his pocket. "I have called you here, Corporal, because I intend to have you fill in for my work at the communications office while I'm gone."

"Where are you going?" Berger sounded genuinely curious.

Mander unfolded the paper and laid it on the table, and they both looked at the name of a town in Switzerland. "If I want to make Gavin confess, I have to find a way to make him squirm. Klavier Gavin, the Pfalzgraf's younger brother was going to be drafted into the Army. But before that could happen, he became a conscientious objector and fled to Switzerland."

"You have spent some time looking up the story of the pair." Berger said noncommittally.

Mander gave him a mean smile. "I know the story because I was the one who arranged for Klavier Gavin to be drafted and sent to the Eastern front. It was my way of making a point to the _bourgeois_ nobility like Pfalzgraf Gavin."

"Why do you hate him so much? He comes in, he does his job, he's joined the party, and he works very loyally. So his brother was an objector. So what?"

"I was in school with Pfalzgraf Gavin, the man born under a lucky star. Rich, a success in school. He had everything, and I had nothing. He walked past me and never even saw me. Now that I have power and he doesn't, I intend to make sure he knows what that feels like."

"Oh, you're jealous of him. I thought you were going to say he kicked your puppy when you were both children or something." Berger muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, Lieutenant! You were saying something about my filling in?" Berger said importantly.

Mander gave him a long look. "While I am out, I want you to fill in for me at the War Communications Office. I daresay you know the place well enough by now. Who knows, your success in this role might very well mean a promotion later on."

"Yes, sir!" Berger said excitedly. "I will do my best for the service of the Reich, sir! But, where will you be?"

Mander looked down at the slip of paper. "This was copied from a postmark of one of the letters we examined. I am going to take a vacation. I hear the Alps are beautiful this time of year." He smiled, and folded the paper back up.

It was time to arrange for a little family reunion for the Gavin brothers.

(-)

When he gets home that night, and after he's had dinner, Kristoph goes back upstairs to continue his work. He's been liquidating all of the family assets, and moving the money to banks in Switzerland. He had meant to do more of it yesterday but then he had ended up writing back to Klavier, trying to get the letter finished before Calisto arrived.

In a box in his dresser are all of the letters that Kristoph has received from Klavier over the years. Klavier used to write a lot when he was younger, and away at school. Kristoph had encouraged this, as a way to keep Klavier at school and prevent him from trying to come home. The box represented several years of correspondence between them that started to dwindle as Klavier got older.

Kristoph thinks as he sits at his desk that he should put the most recent letter in the box. Since the first bombing raid on Munich, he's moved the box and put it in the valise he keeps in the old scullery behind the kitchen. There's no real basement to the house, though there is a wine cellar, and the scullery is built into the ground and part of it sits under the present kitchen. It's where he goes when the news of incoming bombing raids is announced and the sirens go off. He prefers the scullery, mainly because there's a door that leads directly out of it and into the yard, as opposed to the wine cellar which has no way out but the one door that leads back into the house.

He keeps several other things in that valise: the family history, all the identification papers that he does not carry with him on a daily basis, a couple changes of clothes, the song Klavier had written for him when the latter was ten.

Kristoph looks at the bottle of perfume on his side table and decides that he will need to take that with him, too. He might need it after the war.

But for now, it and Klavier's most recent letter will remain in his office. He can always come get them if he needs to take them with him next time the air raid sirens go off.

Klavier's letter he wants to keep close and safe, and there's no safer place for it right now then locked away in his desk.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** Finally, we reach the point in Certain Demolitions where _Night_ officially crosses over. Woo hoo! Yes, if you want to know more about the perfume, and why Kristoph has it, there's a crossover fic that I mentioned several chapters ago called Certain Demolitions: Night. It's a Hogan's Heroes crossover with this story and the perfume is a plot point.

Realistically, for safety from bombing raids, Kristoph would have probably been told to use the wine cellar as it's definitely safer then the scullery, being fully underground rather then partially underground. Kristoph being himself probably smiled, and thanked the inspectors who pointed this out to him, and went back to doing whatever he pleased. Can't say I blame him for staying in the scullery. My fear in regards to being totally underground would be that if a bomb did land on the house, and I was underground, how would I get out if the place did catch on fire or blow up over head and bury the entrance under rubble?

In 1943 the German Army at Stalingrad surrendered. The Germans had not been kind to the Russians during the invasion of the country - some stories I've heard while researching said that the German army shot Russian peasants who were making presents to them of bread and salt, with is some kind of symbol of hospitality in Russia - and so Russia paid that right back to Germany when the opportunity came up. It was ugly, but war is ugly, and that's all we're going to say about that.

Mander complains about Kristoph a lot. (Where would the man be without his one-sided rivalry?) After the Wiemar Republic began, nobles could keep their titles by adding them to their surnames. In this story, Kristoph hasn't done that, and honestly it's not like Klavier cares enough about the fact he's ex-nobility to want to do it. But Mander is the kind of person who, if he had been nobility, would have wanted everyone to know it and would be demanding that everyone refer to him by his obsolete title.

Germany and England spent a lot of time bombing each other. (A famous reference to this is C.S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch, and Wardrobe, which leads off with this premise, since the Pevensies are sent to the country to escape the London Blitz.) Munich was especially a target because of its association with Hitler and the Nazi Party. I expect we'll touch on this more later because the bombing raids will become a plot point for a couple of upcoming chapters.

The chapter title is a reference to the moon's orbit around the Earth. When the moon is closest to the Earth, it's said to be at perigree, and when it's the farthest away, it's at apogee. The title is meant to allude to the fact that at this moment in the story, until he finishes that letter and hands it to Calisto to post for him, Kristoph is as far away from his brother as he can be. But now he'll start orbiting back.

I think that's everything, but you have a question about something that I didn't mention here, as always, let me know.

Please review.


	37. You Left Me in the Dark

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 37: You Left Me in The Dark**

 _America_

 _Late Spring, 1943_

Klavier is digging through his trunk one Saturday morning, trying to find the law books he'd brought with him when he left Germany. Technically, the three he brought with him are also Kristoph's, but his older had told him to study them, and that's what he had been doing up until he'd had to leave for America.

He wouldn't be looking for them at all, but a legal question had come up in the Prosecutor's office, which had devolved into a discussion on the topic that had lasted for half an hour. Klavier had mentioned to Edgeworth something he'd read in one of the books, and Edgeworth had asked to see it.

He gets the book he wants out of the truck, and closes it back up. That's when he hears the sound of something rattling inside it.

The only thing in the trunk these days are the books he brought to America with him and either his summer or winter clothes. Nothing should rattle. He shakes the trunk a little and hears the rattling noise again. So he draws out the key from where he wears it on a long silver chain around his neck tucked under his clothes (from the time he first started traveling, Kristoph had given him the silver chain and told him to always keep the keys to anything he transported his things in on it) and unlocks it again.

Apollo comes in as he's digging around the trunk. "Did you lose something?" He asks.

"I did not. But something is rattling around inside." Klavier shakes the trunk again and they can both hear it.

"Maybe a screw's loose?" Apollo suggested. But they both looked at the heavy oak wood, and the only screws were on the back, in the hinges. The rest of it was held together with tiny nails.

"It can't be that." Klavier told him. But neither of them are sure of what it can be.

Apollo leaves a minute later, and Klavier pulls the trunk away from the wall until he can open the lid back all the way. Then he grabs the lid and shakes it. The hinges hold. Inside there's a rattling sound.

He lays the trunk lid open and looks at it carefully. He can't quite figure out how something could have gotten into it. Klavier feels the inside of the lid, near the edges of the trunk. It's completely smooth, except for one spot that feels like a deep nick in the wood. It's almost invisible if one doesn't know what they're looking for.

Suddenly, Klavier finds himself suffering from a sick sinking feeling. He slides a fingernail into the little nick, and then pulls up a false top to the trunk.

The gap in the lid isn't very deep. Inside it's packed with newspapers, some crumpled into balls, and other that appear to be wrapped around smaller items.

And he sees that one of these items has come unwrapped and that this must be where the rattling had been coming from. Klavier picks it up and sees that it's a brooch, and the sinking feeling only gets worse when he recognizes it.

A twisted oval of gold holds a deep blue stone. Three tiny jutting points of gold accent the oval at the top and sides, and from a loop at the bottom hangs a tiny dangling gold accent. Klavier tilts the brooch towards the light and discovers, to his dismay, a six rayed white star within the gemstone.

It's Kristoph's brooch. Klavier can remember the last time he saw his older brother wear it, too: the ball Frau Abitz threw every winter. That evening, while Klavier had accented his evening clothes in purple as much as he could, Kristoph had followed the standard black-and-white dress code with one exception. He had dispensed with a bow tie and worn a cravat instead; not tied in ruffled layers like Edgeworth's but simply knotted at his throat with two lengths of it trailing down his white shirt, and to accent it, at his throat had been this brooch.

The other items secured in the lid of the trunk are still wrapped in newspaper. Klavier picks on at random and opens it. It's a choker made of a triple strand of pearls, with a carved cameo cabochon in the middle of it. He thinks he remembers seeing this one before when he was younger and Kristoph had been searching for…

…for the amethyst brooch that he had given to Klavier and that Klavier had then worn to every formal event he had had to go to once he was no longer a child.

He'd left that brooch behind him, or he thought he had. He had misplaced a few weeks after the Winter Ball and hadn't found it before he left. Now Klavier thinks he knows where it went.

Klavier drops the sapphire, which lands on the floor with a clatter that feels louder than it really is. He takes the clothes and books out of the trunk and piles them on his bed, then investigates the bottom of his trunk. He finds another tiny nick in the wood, and when he pulls it up he finds a false bottom filled with more packages.

 _How could he do this to me?_ Klavier thinks, sitting back on his knees. Kristoph's brooch lies on the floor in front of him. He picks it up again, and suddenly is filled with rage. " _I hate you,_ _Kristoph_!" He snarls in German, and throws the brooch towards the open door. Then he puts his hands on either side of his head. _This can't be happening. My brother doesn't hate me enough to use me to smuggle things into America!_

"Klavier?"

The German looks up to see Trucy standing next to him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Klavier said.

Trucy doesn't look like she believes him. She holds out the brooch. "Is this yours?" Then she looks at the trunk with its hidden compartments laid open and the things piled on the bed.

"No." Klavier said bitterly. "That belongs to my brother."

(-)

There's a fortune in jewelry by the time it's all unpacked. Set out on Apollo's bed, all the stones – diamonds and rubies, emeralds and amethyst, pearls and sapphires, set in tiny stud earrings to ornate necklaces and every type of jewelry in-between – glitter and sparkle in the light.

Edgeworth, Phoenix, Apollo, and Trucy had helped finish unpacking the trunk.

"This is amazing." Trucy breathes, touching a necklace set with sapphires and diamonds. She's never seen so much valuable jewelry in one place before.

There was a note, as well. In German. It read, ' _If you're reading this you've discovered something I had not been expecting you find until we met again at the end of this war. If you must use them up, be judicious. Kristoph.'_

Klavier, still sitting on the floor, looked just as devastated as he had when he uncovered the jewelry.

"Amazing is one word for it." Apollo said. He sounded bewildered. Unlike Trucy, he was aware that the items set out on his bedspread were not just pretty things to wear, but that they represented a lot of money. He turned to Klavier. "When did you know about this?"

"Today." Klavier said bitterly.

Phoenix looked at Klavier, looked at the jewelry, then shrugged. "I give up. What do we do, Edgeworth?"

Edgeworth considered it, and made the 'I don't know what you're talking about' gesture that Phoenix couldn't stand in court when it was directed at him. "Wright, if anyone asks me about this and I'm not under oath, I'm going to deny everything."

Klavier looked up at that, and Phoenix looked confused.

Edgeworth went on. "You'd do well to just put everything back and pretend that none of this happened. I'm not going to mention it. As long as Debeste doesn't hear about it, I don't imagine anything will come of it." He turned and headed towards the door. "I'm going downstairs. I'm sure by now my tea is cold."

For a moment, there was a pause in the room. Apollo was the first to react. "Works for me." He picked up one of the discarded newspapers off the floor and started wrapping a necklace back up.

Trucy picked up the sapphire brooch again. "Klavier, if this is your brother's, where's yours?"

Klavier stood up slowly and looked at the items laid out. "This one." He picked up another oval of twisted gold, set with a cushion-cut amethyst. This one had no accents on it, and since Kristoph had always worn his straight up and down, Klavier had always worn his pinned so that the short edges were to the side.

Apollo was still wrapping the jewelry back up. "So are you two going to help me or not?"

Trucy ignored her older brother. "What kind of stones are these?" She asked, picking up a bracelet set with red stones.

"Garnets, maybe? Or they could be rubies. I don't know." Klavier admitted. It was a question much better suited for Kristoph.

"I'll take that as a no." Apollo said to the room in general.

"I'm going back downstairs with Edgeworth." Phoenix said, heading for the door.

"Thanks," Apollo said dryly. Klavier had already picked up some of the news papers off the floor and was starting to help wrap the items up. He was also starting to think that Kristoph had found a good use for his habit of reading the newspaper.

"Where did this one come from?" Trucy asked, pointing out a necklace of onyx and emerald set in silver.

"My family has owned all of this for decades. I couldn't begin to tell you where half of it came from." Klavier said, wrapping up a pair of pearl bracelets.

Trucy began to help as well, and in short order they had everything wrapped up and put away.

But all Klavier could think about while they worked was what had happened between them to make his brother hate him so much.

As if to belie that thought, though, when the mail arrives that afternoon after Edgeworth has left with the book, is a letter addressed to Klavier. It's postmarked from Switzerland.

"Who do you know in Switzerland?" Apollo asked when he saw it.

"No one." Klavier replied, turning the letter over in his hands. He doesn't recognize the address, and there's no name with the return address. It's addressed to him, but not in his brother's handwriting.

The letter inside, when he opens it, is from Kristoph. He doesn't want to say anything about it, but he knows without looking up that Apollo is still watching him. "It's from Kristoph." Klavier said, then slid it back into the envelope. "You will…excuse me, yes?" He asked, then turned and went upstairs without waiting for an answer.

He doesn't know what to expect in the letter, and so he'd rather be alone to read it.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** Let me tell you a story (I know you're reading one, but let me tell you one.). The house I live in now was built by a German couple who fled Germany during the WWII period. Part of the household fixtures were smuggled over into the country because the husband didn't want to leave them behind. I have no idea how he smuggled it, just that he did.

So that's where I got the idea for this chapter.

It's interesting to me how I look around now and see all these things that I'm aware of that go back to WWII and It's just…until I started writing this, I never really thought about those things. What was it like to smuggle things into another country because you couldn't bear to leave them behind? What was it like to flee the land you lived in your whole life because it was being run by a madman and you weren't going to be safe there much longer? Those are hard questions to think about.

The embargo on Chapter 3 of Play a Fantasia is over, you can read that one without spoiling this one. The next chapter of this will be a slow one, and then I expect we will see some things start moving in Chapter 39.

Chapter title comes from the song "Cosmic Love," again.

Please review.


	38. Reflections in Blue and Purple

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 38: Reflections in Purple and Blue  
**

 _Summer, 1943_

 _Munich, Germany_

Cpl. Berger knocked on the door and waited. The sound of his knock echoed in the quiet hallway. Behind each door was an office.

"Come in." He heard Kristoph Gavin call, and he entered the room.

"I wondered if you would get up to answer the door or not." The other man joked, then saluted. "Heil Hitler."

Kristoph's arms were full of papers; he did not return the salute. He did say, "Heil Hitler." Then he went back to sorting through the papers. "What can I do for you Corporal?"

"Herr Gavin, you are a loyal citizen of the Reich, aren't you?"

Kristoph paused after he set the paper he was holding down and looked suitably astonished. "Why would you even ask me that? Has something happened that causes you to have doubts?"

"Not me, personally." Berger said, closing the door tightly and coming closer to the desk. Late afternoon sunlight streams in through a window behind the desk that's still covered with soot and ash from the last bombing and ensuing fires. "But others doubt you."

Kristoph smiled. "Might I presume that you are referring to Lt Mander?"

Berger looked surprised. "Then you know what he did?"

"I have heard nothing from his recently, so I have no idea what he did. But he does not like me, and I can't say I am particularly fond of him either." Kristoph said. "That part is not a secret."

"Well, he thinks you are the spy. And is it true that your brother objected to the war?"

"It is true that my brother became an objector. And I'm flattered he thinks I'm the spy, but I don't know where that idea came from."

"I don't either, unless it's because since your brother was an objector he thinks you are as well." Berger said.

"I think if I were an objector I would have just left the country, rather then apply to be a member of the party." Kristoph noted sarcastically.

Berger missed the sarcasm, but did grasp the point. "Exactly! Why you would be here working if you didn't agree with the Reich? You could have just gone to Switzerland too. But I wanted you know that Mander suspects you."

"I appreciate your consideration. But I am aware that Mander doesn't like me, though being accused of being a spy is a new one."

"He seems to have a considerably shorter fuse since Stalingrad ended." Berger noted.

"Thank you for telling me." Kristoph said, turning his attention back to the papers in his arms and starting to resume placing them in the stacks they belong in.

"I'll keep you posted," Berger said, turning back to the door. "But, um, don't let on to Lt. Mander, will you? He'll be very angry if he finds out I've been talking to you."

"Of course. I'll keep this between us." Kristoph promised.

"Heil Hitler." Berger said, and saluted.

"Heil Hitler." Kristoph returned, and as a sign of good faith, saluted also. Berger left, and Kristoph went back to sorting his papers.

So Lt. Mander suspected him. Kristoph considered that. It was nice of Berger to warn him, but it was hardly a surprise.

(-)

 _America_

 _Summer, 1943_

It had been a long time since the Pine Ridge police reports had been delivered to the courthouse, and when Edgeworth heard that Mike Meekins was going that direction to another town further towards the edge of the county, he dispatched Klavier to go pick them up.

"I just need all of the reports brought back here. It's a clerical thing." Edgeworth had told him. "I'll call the police chief and let him know you're coming."

" _In Ordung_." Klavier agreed, and it was settled.

When Meekins dropped him off, Klavier discovered that Pine Ridge had a better view of the ocean then the town he now called home. It was visible from Main Street. The police department was also located on Main Street, which made it easy to find.

Inside, he found the receptionist talking a young man with brown hair and brown eyes. "Yes, I got her to agree to come with me again for lunch today. That will be two days in a row now!"

"I don't know what she sees in you." The receptionist said.

The man she was talking to missed the barb in her tone. Klavier did not.

The brown haired man preened. "She knows a good catch when she finds one."

The receptionist, who knew Kay, didn't look convinced. "Good for you, Sebastian. I hope it goes well." Then she turned her attention to Klavier. "Can I help you?"

"Good morning, Fraulein. Prosecutor Edgeworth sent me to pick up some reports." Klavier said.

"Yes, he called to say you were coming." She replied, and starting looking for the reports on her desk. "I have the folder here somewhere."

Sebastian was looking at Klavier suspiciously. "Who are you?"

Klavier smiled. It was the same kind of smile Kristoph used to give people who he could not stand. "No one of consequence."

Sebastian frowned. "I would like to know your name. Judging by your accent, you are not from these parts."

"My name is Klavier Gavin, and you are quite correct. I am not from around here. I live one town over and was sent to pick up some reports."

"People one town over don't have accents like yours!"

"Oh, you are from there, then?"

"No, I live in the next county. But Americans don't have accents like yours. What country are you from?"

"Germany." Klavier replied. The receptionist looked like she couldn't believe Sebastian had had to be told. She found the folder and held it out to Klavier.

"Here you are, Mr. Gavin."

"Why are you taking those!?" Sebastian demanded.

"Herr Prosecutor Edgeworth sent me to get them." Klavier replied. Now he was exasperated.

Sebastian looked at the receptionist, who nodded. "Mr. Edgeworth called me to say that he was coming and that we should have the reports ready to be taken to the courthouse."

"Where are your papers?" Sebastian demanded.

"Herr Edgeworth has them." Klavier said. "You may inquire with him."

Sebastian appeared to be thinking things over. "Wait a minute; you must the German who my father declared to be an Enemy Alien. Where are your new identification papers?"

"I wasn't given any new papers. Herr Edgeworth has mine."

"That is not good enough! I'm going to have you arrested." Sebastian announced.

The receptionist looked like she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Klavier just shook his head. "Will you at least call Phoenix Wright this time? It's one courtesy your father would not give me."

(-)

As Klavier was being dropped off in town that morning, Kay was threading her hairpin through her hair. It was her day off at her secretarial job, and she was going to meet up with her acquaintance who would like to be her beau, Sebastian Debeste. She dusted off her slacks, even though there was no dust on them. _Someday, this war will be over and I can have nylon stockings back and stop wearing slacks_ , she thought. Then she stood in front of her mirror. "I guess I'm ready."

She left her room and went down the hall to where her grandmother was working in the kitchen. "Grandma, I'm going to go have lunch with Sebastian." She said.

"Alright, dear." Her grandmother replied, and kissed her cheek. "I'll see you later."

Kay stepped out the front door and set off towards the center of town. As usual, Sebastian was sitting on a bench in front of the police station. "Kay, my dear! I'm so glad you agreed to join me for lunch." He stood up, and together they headed to the local restaurant.

Sebastian had gotten out of being drafted by means of his father's pull. He now worked for the Federal Prosecutor's office, along with his father.

When they had gotten their usual table inside, by the front windows, and gotten their orders placed, Sebastian began some small talk. "So how did your morning go?"

"It was quiet. I did some mending, and I'm helping Grandma re-cut some curtains. She thinks she can get some more use out of them."

Sebastian began to preen. "I enforced the law this morning on some immigrant who didn't know it."

"Really?" Kay asked, her interest piqued.

"Yes, that Enemy Alien didn't have his new identification with him. He said that he wasn't given any, but he should have been given some when he was arrested and declared an Enemy Alien. Those Krauts!"

Warning bells are starting to go off in Kay's mind. "Was this German, oh, I don't know, a lot taller then you, pale blond hair, blue eyes, wore a silver necklace with a pendant that looked like the letter "G"?"

"Yes! How did you know?"

Kay ignored the question and asked her own. "What was his name?"

"He said it was Klavier Gavin."

"What!?" Kay shrieked. "Sebastian, how could you?"

He seemed startled. "What do you mean?"

"Arresting my friend!? How could you?" Kay got up and stormed through the restaurant. Other patrons looked up as Sebastian followed her, pleading with her to explain what she meant.

On the back wall of the restaurant was a pay phone. Kay dropped a dime into it and began to spin the dial, ignoring Sebastian behind her. "Hello, Mr. Edgeworth. Klavier isn't there, is he? I didn't think so. You expected him back an hour ago?" Kay paused to glare at Sebastian. "I know where he is. Could you drive out to Pine Ridge? Okay. I'll meet you at the police station. Okay. Thank you. See you in a little bit!" Kay finished excitedly, then hung up and glared at Sebastian again.

"You'd better cancel our food orders." Kay said, crossing her arms over her chest. "And then we're going to the police station."

(-)

Pine Ridge, though bigger than the town the courthouse is in, does not have a jail. The jail is near the courthouse. Pine Ridge does have two re-purposed "holding cells," offices that have been converted to be used as cells. Those who have been indicted for different crimes are transported to the regular jail. Those who are simply being held on infractions or those who will be charged but haven't been yet are kept in these cells.

Klavier is sitting in one of these cells. He doesn't expect to be here very long this time, since he knows Edgeworth is expecting him back at the office.

The door to the cell opens, and Kay is standing there. "Hi Klavier. Mr. Edgeworth's on his way."

Klavier is a little surprised to see her. "Fraulein Kay…what are you doing here?"

"Didn't I tell you?" Kay asked cheerfully. "I live in Pine Ridge! I found out at lunch today that the guy I'm dating is the son of the guy who arrested you the first time. And he let me know that he'd had you arrested, and I called Edgeworth."

"Danke."

"Don't mention it. Mr. Edgeworth'll be here any minute." Kay said, coming all the way into the cell and taking a seat on the edge of the cot. Klavier was sitting on the chair in the room.

(-)

About ten minutes later, the cell door opened again and this time Phoenix was standing there. "Hello Klavier."

"Phoenix." Klavier said.

The attorney entered the room and closed the door. "Edgeworth came and got me on his way over. Technically I'm still your attorney of record because I never withdrew. What happened?"

"I was asked for identification papers, but I don't have those anymore. Herr Edgeworth has them." Klavier said bitterly.

"Well, Edgeworth is…apparently going to have a thing or two to say about the situation." Phoenix said. "Come on. Let's go to the conference room."

The door had not been locked behind Phoenix. He, Kay, and Klavier left and went down the hall to the conference room where Edgeworth was waiting, leaning against the wall in the room..

"Have a seat," He said to them, gesturing to the chairs around the table. After they were seated, he said, "So, as it turns out, when Klavier turned all of his documents in, he was supposed to get different identification from the government. But they didn't give that to him, which is how we are all here."

"So…what now, then?" Kay asked.

"I made a phone call before I came. Blackquill is on his way over with the document that you do need." Edgeworth said. "So, as soon as he arrives, we can wrap this up and go home."

"Do you know when he's coming?" Phoenix asked.

"I expect him any minute." Edgeworth said.

The door opened again and they all turned to see Sebastian standing there. "I was wondering where you had gone, Kay."

"You couldn't guess?" She asked.

Even Sebastian seemed to guess that he had gone too far this time. "Kay, darling!"

"Don't 'Kay darling' me." Kay told him, crossing her arms over her chest and turning away. "You're in trouble." She looked at Edgeworth. "If you don't need me anymore, Mr. Edgeworth, I'm going to go home."

"I think we've got it from here, Kay. Thank you for your help."

"Of course." She smiled and headed for the door. She caught Sebastian by the edge of his jacket and dragged him out with her. "Come on Sebastian. We're going to talk about you and how and how you're not going to arrest my friends anymore."

She went out as Blackquill came in. He had a small book with him that he gave to Klavier. "This should have been given to you, but you know that already."

Edgeworth stood up. "Wright, I had Gumshoe drive over with me as well. He'll take you and Klavier home. I need to talk to Blackquill."

(-)

Phoenix and Klavier were back outside a moment later.

"I'm sorry about that, again." Phoenix said.

Klavier shrugged. "First they demand all of my papers from me, then they arrest for not having papers."

"Yeah." Phoenix says. There's not much else he can say. "Well, let's go."

* * *

 **[A/N:]** So I read this story on FFN called "His Girl Faraday" that paired Kay and Sebastian, and it was a cute story and when I was done I was like, oh, what the heck. I ship it! So here, have some minor Sebastian/Kay while I work on the Klema pairing.

So...one of the things that I didn't really touch on when Klavier got arrested was that once all of an Enemy Alien's papers were taken away, they were given new ones by the federal government. Given that Phoenix and Edgeworth kind of abruptly uprooted Blaise Debeste's plans, neither of them knew, and Edgeworth only knew that he was to hold on to Klavier's identification documents, not that he needed to ask Blackquill or Debeste for replacement papers.

I like to pretend for this story that the Gavins have an official family crest and the four main colors of the crest are blue, silver, purple, and black, and that the stylized "G" on Klavier's necklace is part of the crest. I would have looked into heraldry some more but that is it's own animal and I was doing enough research at the time. And I alluded to this in Fantasia, in the first chapter, but I like to pretend in this story line that the necklace Klavier wears with the "G" on it is a livery collar that he had remade to look like the necklace it is now.

Okay, I think that's everything. if you have any questions, please let me know.

Please review.

 _1-12-18_


	39. The Crossfire of Heaven and Hell

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 39: The Crossfire of Heaven and Hell**

* * *

 _[A/N: Please remember that you are reading a story set during a War where inhumanity was everywhere.]_

* * *

 _Munich, Germany_

 _1943_

That September, a blow comes to the German war effort. Italy surrenders.

"A blow?" Kristoph scoffed, folding the newspaper with disgust and tossing it on the table. "That fool in Italy got us into war with Greece and then into the rest of Africa. Maybe if we hadn't been losing forces down there, we might have done better elsewhere."

Calisto paused, a bite food halfway to her mouth. "So, do you want Germany to win the war? Because if you do, you will need to switch sides."

Kristoph's glasses went shiny in the light. "If we're going to fight a war, I would prefer it to be a competently fought war. We haven't had many of those."

"Better keep your voice down." Calisto advised. "The Gestapo might be listening."

Even the restaurant is so noisy it's hard to hear each other, she has a point. The chatter of other diners and the clinking of glasses and silverware and china is no guarantee that someone isn't eavesdropping. Kristoph frowned and went back to eating. He had arrived at the restaurant first, and was further through his meal then Calisto was. By now the place was so full that there was no way to get a table.

Kristoph finished his food and stood up. He pulled a paper out of his jacket and handed it to her. "I have to go. Pay the bill, please."

"Of course." Calisto promised. The paper had written on it in pencil the latest notes for the Underground. It was wrapped around enough Marks to cover dinner and still leave a nice sum for Calisto.

Kristoph departed the restaurant and began to walk home. It was not a long walk, and he was without his cane for a change. It was a nice change.

It was early evening. The sun was still out. He was enjoying the walk, when he heard a scream.

He was near the von Metz house when he heard the scream, and looked around just in time to see something fall to the ground.

It took him a moment to realize what he had seen was not an object falling through the air, but a person. A girl, with red hair, now lying on the sidewalk below the fourth floor turret on the house.

Heidi von Metz.

He was only a few feet away from her. Kristoph ran over to where Heidi was lying, unmoving, and knelt next to her. She had landed on her back.

Kristoph thought she was dead, but after a moment her eyes fluttered open.

"Herr Gavin…" she whispered.

"Lie still." Kristoph ordered. "You fell. I'll find help."

"Don't. I don't need help. I jumped."

The first question that came to his mind was 'what?' but instead he asked, "Why?"

"Franz found out I was smuggling Jews. He called the Gestapo. But I know what they would do to me." Heidi said softly.

The pieces fall into place in his mind faster than Kristoph would like them to. "Fraulein von Metz, my brother, Klavier, was he…?"

"He helped me." Heidi admitted.

It isn't often that Kristoph is surprised by the antics of his little brother anymore. But this time, he's genuinely shocked. "What?"

"Klavier helped me to smuggle the Jews who came through here." Heidi told him. "He was my last, best friend."

"Was there anything between the two of you?" Kristoph asked. Time was running out for Heidi; her breathing was growing fainter.

"No, nothing. But he never asked me for anything either. I might have given in to him, if he had asked." Heidi admitted, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips. "Take your glasses off, please. I'd like to pretend that you're him, now."

Kristoph took his glasses off and set them on the sidewalk. "I sent Klavier to America to keep him out of the war." He told her.

"I know. He told me that when he wrote me." Heidi said, and shuddered. She shook her head, though the movement was faint. "It's not going to work. Your eyes are too cold. His were warm."

But Kristoph did not put his glasses back on until her faint breathing had finally stopped. By then his knee has gone stiff to the point he has trouble standing; he's been kneeling beside her too long. At this point a crowd has gathered, including the devastated Hans von Metz and screaming, hysterical, Frau von Metz.

The Gestapo shows up.

Bystanders help him to his feet. One of them helps him home. But all Kristoph can think of are two things. First, that Klavier had been actively opposing the Nazis, and he'd never known. Second, that Franz von Metz was a monster.

Kristoph doesn't bother much with his feelings anymore. There's no real point in feelings; he's buried both parents, become a cripple, deceived his younger brother and sent him out of the country against his will. But tonight he feels wretched, in a way he hasn't since his father died so many years ago, the first of many things that would cause Kristoph's life, in his view, to spiral out of his control.

 _We didn't always get along, Klavier_ , He thinks to himself when he's safely in his own house, leaning against his closed and locked front door. He had waved the bystanders off, telling them he'd be fine now that he was home. _But never have I hated you enough to turn you over to people who I knew would kill you._

(-)

Kristoph goes down to the von Metz house the next afternoon, after calling the office that morning to let them know he won't be in. Lt Mander takes his call. It's a strange occurrence; usually the man does not answer the phone. When he hears the news about where Kristoph is going, Mander sounds like he's about to go into a rant about how bad it would look if Kristoph was found associating with a family that was now suspect. Kristoph hangs up before Mander can start and makes a mental note to, if Mander brings up later, apologize for the fact they got disconnected and blame it on the most recent bombing.

Then he takes his cane and sets out. In spite of his fears that his knee would lock up overnight and keep him confined to bed today, it had not.

The walk is much shorter then he wants it to be. Kristoph knocked on the door, and Frau Dreier opened it. She doesn't say anything when she sees him, but waves him in.

Kristoph goes to Hans's study first. He has been in the house before; once, a long time ago. The man has his head bowed and is looking at the dark wood of his desk from where he sits behind it. Kristoph uses the head of his cane to knock on the door frame, and the man looks up, startled. "Herr Gavin."

"Herr von Metz." Kristoph says, walking into the office. "I've come to offer my assistance, and my condolences."

"That is generous of you. I know your brother, and my daughter…" Hans trailed off. "I would appreciate it if you would deal with the Gestapo. Perhaps since you are a member of the Party you will be able to deal with them better than I can. I would ask Eric or Max, but I don't think they'll get leave to come home for the…the funeral."

"I'll see what I can do." Kristoph promised. "Is there anything else?"

"No. Heidi will be …" The man paused and had to take a moment to compose himself. "Tomorrow we will bury her next to her grandparents. The best thing to do would be to put this behind us and move on."

Unfortunately he is probably not wrong, Kristoph realized.

Hans is going on. "Frau Dreier has helped prepare Heidi's…" He trailed off, and this time he couldn't compose himself. He broke down in sobs.

"I am sorry for your loss." Kristoph said. Hans noddded, and Kristoph stepped out of the room and quietly closed the door behind him.

Down the hall, he found another open door. Frau von Metz sits inside the room on the other side of the door, an elegantly embellished but otherwise decrepit sitting room that's too bare from the perspective of furniture, being served a glass of amber liquid by someone, a maid or a friend, Kristoph doesn't know which. She's alternatively sobbing and laughing.

Kristoph paused and realized that Frau von Metz is drunk. The other woman walked out of the room and ignores Kristoph as she turned and went down the hall. She stopped at a cabinet sitting outside another room. The top of the cabinet is stacked with bottles of liquor and Kristoph can see glasses through the ornately cut doors of the cabinet. She poured herself a drink, swallowed it in two gulps, and keeps going down the hall.

Kristoph spun on his heel and went back to the room where Frau von Metz was sitting. "Frau von Metz, I have come to pay my condolences in regards to the loss of your daughter." He said. _But what I really want to find out from you is how your son could do such a thing._

"I don't remember …" Frau von Metz slurred. "Heidi, my daughter. She jumped."

"I know. I am here to pay my condolences." Kristoph said, and there are icicles hanging off his words. Frau von Metz has been weighed and found wanting.

Usually, with everyone except Klavier, Kristoph hides his irritation behind a mask of politeness. Frau von Metz is rapidly pushing his mask to the breaking point. "It's too bad your son turned her in."

"That boy…" She slurred, then started laughing.

Kristoph turned on his heel again and walked out of the room. He went back to the cabinet that stood in the hallway, and with one swing his cane puts half of the liquor bottles that sit on it on the floor. They don't all break on impact, so he makes sure to shatter them with his cane once they're on the ground. the sound of glass breaking doesn't seem loud enough.

"Herr Moonlight." A sudden, familiar voice behind him says, and he paused when he recognized Frau Dreier's voice. "What are you doing?"

"I am rearranging Frau von Metz's priorities." Kristoph said without turning around.

Frau Dreier considered this. "Come with me." She said, and Kristoph turned and followed her up the stairs and down another hallway, and then another, and then they stop in front of a door. Frau Dreier opened it and they go in.

When Kristoph first sees it, he thinks that it must have been Heidi's room. The pale pink color scheme and the dress hanging on the dressmaker's dummy in the corner clue him in right away.

Somehow, the half-finished dress is sadder than anything else in the room.

"You have had only your brother around you for so long that I don't think you realize how the world works anymore." Dreier said nonchalantly, as through the things that had happened in her country didn't make a difference to her one way or the other. "Parents live in fear of being turned in by their children. Why do you think that Frau von Metz could have stopped her son?"

"Perhaps if she hadn't let him grow up into the animal he became, Frau Dreier, neither of us would be standing here now."

Dreier considers it. "Lisle von Metz has not been the same since Bert was murdered by the Nazis." Her tone is still conversational. "But it may be that she was like this before. And there is a difference between the impoverished former nobility who still cling to their titles and the well-to-do former nobility. If the von Metz sons had not felt the need to go join the military as a way to help support their families, maybe none of this would have happened."

Kristoph was looking out the window. He turned and came back to the middle of the room, leaning heavily on his cane. "The spelling of my surname is of no concern to me. My third job, between college, and raising Klavier, was keeping my family's business interests from sinking like the rocks they turned into."

"Perhaps you had more success then Hans von Metz. But it's too late to speculate about that now. I found the dress Heidi is to be buried in." Frau Dreier said, changing the subject matter-of-factly. "The white one she made for the Winter Ball…three years ago now. She was very proud of it. She told me once it was her best work and she didn't think she would be able to top it until she sewed her wedding dress."

That she never will sew a wedding dress now stands, a cold thought between them. then Kristoph turned away.

Frau Dreier watched with a bored look as Kristoph went over to the desk, rolled up the top, and began to go through the papers in it.

"My brother wrote a letter to her from America." He said by way of explanation.

"I know. She told me." Frau Dreier said.

Kristoph paused in his search. "Did you know, what Heidi…?"

"That she tried to help the people the Nazis sentenced to death? I did. I hid them for her when they came through Munich. And you're looking for the letter because you're afraid it will incriminate your brother, who helped her." Frau Dreier said. "Are you going to turn me in?" Her real question was, _are you the same kind of monster Franz von Metz is?_

"No, I'm not going to turn you in." Kristoph said. "And that letter can't incriminate Klavier, and if it does, he's in America. But I want it back." It shouldn't, in theory, affect Klavier at all. But Kristoph's not going to leave anything to chance if he can help it. He flips through the papers in the desk, the books, looks through the sewing kit that's kept, oddly enough, in the desk drawer. But he can't find it.

If Heidi was like Klavier, who got better at hiding things he didn't want Kristoph to find as the years went on, if she did that for protection from her brothers, then he may never find the letter.

"Would Heidi have kept the letter?"

Frau Dreier considered the question. "Perhaps. I know she enjoyed talking about it with me when we were alone. She wanted to know more about life was like in America. But given who her family is, she may have destroyed it."

It's a fair point. Kristoph slid the top of the desk closed. "If you come across it while you're here…"

"I'll burn it." Frau Dreier promised. "Go home, Herr Moonlight. There's nothing more you can do here. And tomorrow will be a long day for all of us."

(-)

The church is sparsely filled the next day. Heidi lies in her casket, dressed in white, pale purple flowers tucked under her hands.

Her younger siblings wept, as did her parents. Eric von Metz, fresh from the battlefield where his unit has been dealing with pockets of resistance in some occupied country and who arrived so late that he had no time to change out of his filthy uniform, looked devastated. Max was not able to make it at all.

A few of Heidi's friends from her days at school are present. They sit in one row, some sobbing, others with stony faces. Whether this is because they can't grasp what happened to Heidi or because they view her as a traitor, no one can say.

Frau Dreier always wore black. Sometimes, for a change of pace, she wore grey, or blue so dark it looked black, but usually she wears black. Today is no different for her. She sits in one row, her face the same stony mask it's been since she learned that her husband and son had both been taken from her.

Kristoph exchanged his usual blue suit for a black one that morning, and swapped his pink ribbon for a red one. The pin at his throat is black glass set in tin. He sat next to Frau Dreier, and they both suffered through the proceedings in silence.

Franz von Metz is conspicuous by his absence.

When the funeral is over, the sun is shining, which feels like a betrayal.

Neither Kristoph nor Frau Dreier stay after the funeral ends. Instead, Kristoph walked Frau Dreier home. Then he went home, locked his front door and went upstairs. He took off his suit jacket and laid it neatly on his bed, and then went to his office. Once he was safely in his office, which still has the curtains closed from last night, he unlocked his desk drawer. He took out the letter Klavier sent him.

He wants to reread it today.

(-)

When his sister jumped out a window and killed herself, Franz wasn't surprised. He also didn't care, because as far as he was concerned, she was a traitor.

While the crowd was gathered around her broken body on the road below the house, he went upstairs and rifled through her desk, looking for anything that might point him to who was helping her, because he figured his sister wasn't working on her own.

But there were no notes in her desk, no coded messages, nothing more than a little correspondence from some friends from school, filled with the usual gossipy topics.

And one letter with an American postmark. This interested Franz, because he didn't know who could be writing his sister from over there.

To his surprise, the letter is from Klavier Gavin, who Franz was pretty sure was supposed to be in Switzerland, not America.

He took the letter with him when he left, and he's out of her room and out of the house long before anyone knows he was ever there.

The day of his sister's funeral, while the service is going on, he arranged to meet with Lt Mander. They met in a small park not far from the church where the service was being held.

"Well, what is it you wanted?" Mander asked when he saw von Metz. "I'm a very busy man."

"I'm aware you have a grudge against Kristoph Gavin." Franz said conversationally. Mander gave a derisive snort. They stand under a tall tree, whose leaves have just begun to turn color. "Why don't you spring this news on him and see how he reacts, since he seems to think his brother is in Switzerland." Franz holds out the letter. Mander rips it from his hand and reads it hurriedly.

"Perhaps Kristoph Gavin could look into the matter and see where his coward of a brother has really gone." Franz suggested. In his mind, anyone who was a conscientious objector was a coward.

Mander smiled meanly. "Thank you, Captain von Metz. I appreciate your consideration of the matter."

Franz nodded. "I had best be going. I have some other errands to run."

Mander nodded. "Thank you for your…contribution, today, Captain. Heil Hitler."

They both saluted, and then Franz walked away.

Mander looked at the letter and smiled again, then tucked it into his jacket.

He had the right card. Now all he had to do was decide how to play it.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** I have read at least one story in the course of my research about when the Nazis came marching into, oh I forget which country now, some country the Germans were taking over, where a Jewish couple committed suicide together by jumping out a window. One wonders if that couple knew what was coming. I'm aware that the events in this chapter are depressing if not outright grim. But having been ratted out by her own family, Heidi does not have a lot of choices at this point. There are stories of women with connections to the Nazis, family members involved in the party and so on, who used their connections to have a blind eye turned to their antics of hiding people the Nazis were trying to exterminate and/or smuggling them out of the country. Of course, if you didn't have protection while you were engaging in those activities, there were severe penalties if you were caught. You could be punished simply for being critical of Nazi policies at this point in time, so the punishment for defying them would be even harsher.

In September of 1943, Italy did surrender. The Germans had been defeated at Stalingrad earlier in the year, and now they were down an ally, so fortunately for the victims caught up in the Nazi machinations, the prognosis for a German success story looked worse all the time. But the war isn't over yet.

I am not sure I ever mentioned why I made Kristoph a cripple in this story (maybe I did, it's been 39 chapters so I might have mentioned it somewhere.) I needed a reason for him to not get drafted. Based on what I've found out about military policy at the time, brothers could did serve together in war together both in America and Germany, though the deaths of the Sullivan Brothers and the Brothers von Blücher kind of illustrated why that was a bad idea since families were losing their children in fell swoops. In America, the death of the Sullivan brothers pretty much put an end to allowing brothers to serve together in combat, and apparently Germany had some kind of sole survivor policy as the last of the Brothers von Blücher was released from service in the Navy after his brothers were killed. So apart from making Kristoph unfit for military service, I have no reason to think that he and Klavier both would not be drafted. And so that is why in this story, Kristoph is a cripple.

Chapter title is, again, from the song Crossfire by Brandon Flowers.

Alright, I think that it for the notes this go-'round.

Please review.

 _1-13-18_


	40. Slow-Growing Realization

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 40: Slow-Growing Realization**

 _Fall, 1943_

 _America_

"I can't wait until this war is over." Kay complained, hugging the pillow tighter to her chest. She was sitting on the chair at Ema's desk, having come over that evening to spend the weekend with her friend. "I want nylon stockings to come back so I can go back to wearing a skirt.

Ema broke off a piece of her Skybar and popped in into her mouth absently. She was lying on her bed, flipping through a copy of _Harper's Bazaar._ "You know, short skirts without stockings might be a thing that we get to keep after the war."

Kay snorted. "Why? What would be the point of that? I want more material to make clothes again. I want to stop trying to have to figure out ration coupons, too. It's such a pain."

"Well, I have to agree with you there." Ema conceded. She closed the magazine and tossed it to Kay, who caught it and hugged it to the pillow she was still holding.

"Someday the war will end. It can't last forever," Kay said cheerfully. She threw the pillow and it landed on the bed. "Perfect!" Then she picked up the magazine that had landed near her feet and flipped it over to the study the cover.

"Thanks for calling Mr. Edgeworth the other day," Ema said.

"Calling him about…?" Kay looked up from the magazine, trying to figure out what her friend was talking about. Then it came to her. "Oh! You mean calling him when I found out what Sebastian had done to Klavier. It was the least I could do. And Sebastian seemed genuinely remorseful, so I forgave him." She sighed. "We'll try again."

"Don't you like him?" Ema asked.

Kay sighed. "I don't know. He kind of badgered me to go out with him, so I agreed. Grandma told me that he was a Debeste, and that means security and prestige and everything a girl needs to be happy. And heaven knows all the girls in Pine Ridge can't believe I"m going out with him because they wanted to go out with him. But Grandma hasn't really met Sebastian other then polite small talk the first time he came to the house. And then he was…trying so hard while we were out. He wanted to be a polite, perfect gentleman, and it doesn't come naturally to him."

Ema's thoughts turned, unbidden, to a certain blond to whom being a gentleman came naturally, even if he had the annoying tendency to walk her home when she didn't want an escort. She pushed the thought out of her mind before it could get too carried away.

Kay leaned forward. "You wanna know what I think?"

"Sure."

"Sebastian would do better if he just tried being himself. He doesn't spend a lot of time doing that."

Ema snorted. "Isn't that the thing with guys, though? They never want you to see them for who they really are?"

Kay stood up and came over to sit next to Ema on the bed. "I don't think that's the case with all guys." She said. "I bet you've seen sides to Klavier that the rest of us have never seen."

The brunette frowned as she considered the statement, and remembered the night they had gone to see Casablanca. "Kay, if I show you something, will you promise not to tell anyone?"

"Cross my heart I won't tell!" Kay promised excitedly. She had the feeling she was about to be let in on a big secret.

Ema rose and went to her bureau. She opened the top drawer and took an object out, then came back to the bed. "Klavier gave me this," she said, holding the notebook out.

"Wow!" Kay breathed, taking the notebook carefully in her hands. "It's like Gummy's but so much nicer. It's beautiful! Klavier gave this to you?"

"Yes. After we talked, earlier this year. Kay, what does he see in me? I'm getting attention from a guy who's traveled through Europe, speaks three different languages, and is from a huge city. I'm from a small town in the middle of nowhere, where nothing ever happens."

"Why don't you ask him?" Kay said.

"I'm afraid to know." Ema replied, sitting on the bed and taking the notebook back from Kay.

"Don't be afraid to know. Just because the last couple of guys you went with didn't work out doesn't mean there isn't some special for you out there. And let's be honest, on charm factor alone you're better off with Klavier."

"Kay!"

Kay put her hands on her hips. "Do you want me to be honest or not?

Ema didn't say anything, but hugged the notebook for a moment before going to put it away. Kay watched her friend, a thoughtful look on her face.

"Try not calling him names or pushing him away anymore, Ema. I think you'll be surprised by the result."

"I don't want to get my heart broken again," Ema said as she set the notebook in the drawer. Her fingers itched to take out the note that was still inside and read it once more.

"You know Klavier better than I do." Kay pointed out, stretching out on her stomach on her friend's bed and bending her knees back towards her head. "Do you really think he's going to break your heart? Don't answer me. I just want you to think about it and tell yourself the answer."

Ema considered the question, still staring into her drawer where the notebook was lying. When she did, her mind went back to that night outside the movie theater – it always does when she thinks about questions of this nature. That night, Klavier's wounded heart was on full display and she had seen it.

Someone who knows what it's like to have their heart broken won't go around breaking other people's hearts.

"Do you think that broken hearts heal?"

"Yes, I do," Kay said firmly. "So don't let the past beat you down. It's been long enough since Theodore. You should try dating again."

That hadn't been what Ema had been referring too, but it was still an answer to her question.

"Come on," Ema said, tucking the notebook deeper into the drawer where it will be safe. "Let's go downstairs and see what we can come up with for dinner."

* * *

 **[A/N:]** "I'll just write this fanfiction," I said. "It'll be over in like, 15 chapters," I said.

I was wrong. Obviously.

Bit of a slow chapter here. The last chapter was a turning point as now we will be heading for the climax, but we will be building up to it slowly. It is still a slice of life fic, after all. Ema needs a little push to get her moving, and so Kay is here to help. If this seems kind of like mood whiplash, remember that we're dealing with events on two different sides of the world. I wasn't actually planning ot post this this weekend, but I got another chapter done today.

Other notes. Okay. Hemlines did get shorter for women's skirts and dresses during the war to help save material. This is the same reason zoot suits were frowned upon and suits with waistcoats (or vests) suddenly stopped having waistcoats, too, was to save fabric. What exactly all of that material was being saved for is a bit of a mystery to me. I would have thought that the whole shorter skirts thing would have been a real victory for women and they would have kept it when the war ended, but they didn't. (Though again, going back to longer things shows you no longer need to ration, so I can see both sides.)

I've mentioned ration coupons in an earlier chapter. They were a bit of a headache to work with, and the values for them got adjusted several times over the course of the war. It was a quiet chapter, so I think that's everything. I expect the next chapter will be more narrative-heavy.

Please review.


	41. Cast Beyond the Moon

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 41: Cast Beyond the Moon**

 _Munich, Germany_

 _Fall 1943_

 _His leg hurts, and he can't move his hand. He can see the blood trickling out of the cut on his hand. He tries to pull his hand free, but he can't budge the rubble that's pressing into it._

 _His leg is twisted and pinned awkwardly, and it throbs and aches. He's tried pushing the rubble off with his free leg, but he can't move that either._

 _He takes a deep breath and tries to stay calm. There's nothing that he can do, but surely someone will come. The explosion was loud enough that everyone in the vicinity should have heard it._

 _Assuming there's anyone left in the town who wasn't caught in the explosion._

 _He tries to stay calm._

 _Someone will come. They have too._

The trilling of the alarm broke into his dream, and Kristoph snapped awake. He's looking at a stone wall, and a moment later everything clicks into place. He's in the scullery, because there was an air raid last night. Kristoph sits up on the cot, which is pressed up against the wall, stretches, and reaches for his robe, and then his cane.

It had been a long time since he dreamed of the day he was crippled, but since the bombing raids have started to pick up he's been having that dream more often. Something about the sound of explosions in the night makes him remember one fateful explosion during the day.

On a chair sits the letter from Klavier and the bottle of Night perfume. Hanging on the back of the chair are his clothes for the day. His valise sits by the chair.

The scullery is two steps and a doorway away from the kitchen, so it doesn't take very long to get the ersatz coffee started. The combination of roast grains and chicory roots taste nothing like coffee, but he hasn't had time to get back to the black market to buy coffee yet. He makes a mental note to do it as soon as he can get away from work. If there's another bombing raid tonight, and he survives it, he'd like to have real coffee in the morning.

While it's brewing, he goes back into the scullery and changes into the clothes he brought down the night before. Then Kristoph takes his pajamas, robe, Klavier's letter, and the bottle of perfume back upstairs. The robe and pajamas he drops off in his bedroom, and he pauses long enough to make the bed. Then he goes to his office, next door. He sets the bottle of perfume on the table near the door, where it usually sits, and locks Klavier's letter back in his desk drawer.

It's probably time to put both items in the valise he keeps in the scullery, but he can't bring himself to do it yet.

Then he goes downstairs to have his fake coffee and find something to eat before he heads to the office.

(-)

The thing to determine before he can strike is: what does Kristoph Gavin know?

Lt. Mander considers the problem as he loiters carefully near a street lamp by the von Metz home. He's made sure that there will be a stack of work on Gavin's desk today, enough to hopefully keep him busy well into the evening.

He watched as Gavin left his house and set off down the street. The day is chilly. Gavin is wearing that ridiculous blue Ulster coat he seems to favor when the weather gets cold.

There's a nosy old lady – one Frau Dreier - who lives on the opposite side of the road one house up from Gavin and whose favorite hobby these days is sitting outside on her front porch and knitting. She can turn out socks at an amazing rate. But her front porch gives her an excellent view of Gavin's house, and Mander isn't sure that she won't tell Gavin if she sees someone go into his house. She seems like the kind of nosy old lady who would tell, too.

If it turns out that Kristoph knows that his younger brother in America, it will mean that Kristoph was lying the day he came into the office, handed the draft letter back to Mander, and informed him that Klavier was a conscientious objector who had fled to Switzerland. Kristoph has been getting letters from his brother in Switzerland ever since.

But Mander has gone to Switzerland and searched the town where the letters were postmarked from, and the surrounding towns, and he turned up no trace of Klavier Gavin while he was there. And then Franz von Metz had given him another one of Klavier Gavin's letters, this one from America. There's something going on that he intends to get to the bottom of.

He thought he knew what it was, too, but he wanted his suspicions confirmed before he acted.

Mander leaves and goes to assemble the men he will want to take will want with him when the time comes to break into Gavin's home. He intends to be ready to strike as soon as the opportunity presents itself.

(-)

The opportunity Mander is waiting for arrives later that afternoon.

Frau Dreier is sitting on her porch, as usual, in spite of the chill in the air, knitting away. She'll probably be at it every day until the snow finally comes. But she does go inside late that afternoon.

Mander checked his watch. He'd dropped by Gavin's office at lunch to see how far the man was in the pile of work that had been left on his desk. Gavin was only halfway through it.

Gavin had stopped staying so late at the office now that the bombing raids have picked up intensity, but Mander expects he will have at least two hours before he needs to worry about Gavin coming home.

So he takes the two men he's brought with him and breaks into Gavin's house. He knows the first place he intends to search, too: Gavin's office.

He knows that most of the rest of the house is closed up, and if they try and search every room in the house they will be there for days. But somehow, Mander feels like they don't need to search any more then the office. From what he knows of Gavin, whatever proof he's after will be in there.

The two men he brings with him poke around the office as Mander settles in Gavin's very comfortable chair behind the desk. The bottle of perfume there raises some eyebrows. But Mander goes through the desk, searching every drawer.

The top drawer on the left hand side of the desk is locked. He manages, after some effort, to jimmy the lock and pry the drawer open.

There are many papers in the drawer, some of them legal documents, others letters from banks, carefully unfolded and laid flat in the drawer, and on top of the other papers is a letter. Mander picked it up and unfolded it.

He sat in Gavin's chair and read the whole letter, which ran for two pages. In it, Klavier Gavin, among other things, excoriates his brother for sending him to America against his will, tells Kristoph what's happened to him since he's been in America, and lists the address of the place he will be staying now that he's been declared and Enemy Alien by the American government.

"Sir?" One of the men he's brought with him asked curiously. He had noticed the grin that's crawled across his superior's face.

Mander folded the letter up and tucked it in his jacket. He slammed the drawer shut and stood up. "Let's go, men. I've found what I came for."

(-)

Kristoph came home that night just as the sun is setting. He doesn't like to be out these days after dark; there's too much risk of a bombing raid now, even though with his papers, he could be out after dark as long as he wants.

The evening passed uneventfully, but just to be safe, Kristoph puts another change of clothes in the scullery, in case he needs them. But he's hopeful that tonight he'll be able to sleep in his bed upstairs.

He's been in bed for one hour that night and isn't remotely close to falling asleep when he heard the air raid sirens going off outside, and with sigh he threw off the blankets, put on his glasses, put his robe on over his pajamas, then took his cane and stood up.

Kristoph goes to his office next. He drops the bottle of Night into the pocket of his robe and goes to unlock his desk drawer to take Klavier's letter out. Outside, the warning sirens are still wailing alerts about incoming enemy planes.

The drawer doesn't open when he turns the key. The lock is stuck, and he has to jiggle the key and then press down on it to get the drawer to unlock. It gives him a moment's pause.

This has never happened before.

The letter should be lying on top of the other papers in the drawer. He distinctly remembered putting it there that morning.

But it isn't. Kristoph rifled through the documents in the drawer. Maybe it had slid underneath some other items when he closed the drawer that morning. He still can't find it. Kristoph pulled the drawer out entirely out of the desk and dumped the contents on his desk top, searching through them frantically, but he can't find the letter.

An explosion suddenly shakes the house, and Kristoph is thrown off balance. He braces himself against his desk. The bomb has not hit his house, but it's close by. There's no more time to search, so he takes his cane and heads out of the room and down the stairs as quickly as he can.

He does not like what the jammed drawer lock and the missing letter together mean.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** After so many months of giving grief to the rest of the world, Germany was finally on the receiving end of it. Remember how I mentioned earlier in the story that Germany had very lax rationing at the beginning of the war? They had relaxed rationing right up until Stalingrad ended. So that's why Kristoph's having ersatz coffee. It's all he can get legally. Ersatz coffee is pretty much what I described in the story, except it had tar oil and things like that in it. And no caffeine. So I can't say I blame Kristoph for wanting to hit up the black market and get some of the real stuff. Black markets thrived during the war. You could get just about anything as long as you could afford to pay for it. and since the goods on the black market were rare and hard to find, you can be sure the prices were steep.

That scar Kristoph has on his hand... I would really like to know what the in-game explanation for that is - we've just gotten the C.D. explanation - and then I'd like to know who sewed it up for him, because I don't understand how a stitched wound would look like that. Stitches, in my experience, don't leave lines across the wound, they leave little holes on either side of it. The sarcastic and untruthful C.D. explanation for this is Dr. Frankenstein was helpfully available to attend to wounded after that ordinance went off. But all sarcasm aside, even during the 1940s, there's no reason to think Krisotph would get a scar with markings that go across it. The man who played General Burkhalter in Hogan's Heroes had a scar on his face that he got from being hit in the face by an actual Nazi, and the scar looks like it healed fairly neatly. So I just don't get it.

The title of this chapter is a British phrase that means "to consider unlikely or fantastic possibilities." I think the American equivalent would be "shoot for the stars." I liked this as a title for the chapter because both Kristoph and Mander have to consider some unlikely possibilities here, Mander at the beginning and Kristoph at the end.

Alright. I think that's everything.

Please review.

1-20-18


	42. Pack Up Your Troubles

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 42: Pack Up Your Troubles  
**

 _Late Fall, 1943  
_

 _America_

"Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and smile, smile, smile," Kay sang out, emerging from the Wright family garden with handfuls of green beans that she added to the basket on the grass. The sun was setting to the West, painting the sky in gold and pink. Work on harvesting the garden has been an ongoing project. Tonight Kay is working on some of that harvesting for the evening meal. "While you've a lucifer to light your fag, smile boys that's the style!" She went back into the row of green beans and started to pick more of them. "What's the use of worrying? It never was worthwhile! So, pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and smile, smile, smile!"

There were enough beans now. Kay picked up the basket and headed towards the house.

"I've got the beans!" She announced, entering the house. "Here, Ema!" She handed the basket off to her friend, who was working in the kitchen with Klavier. "Let's have sliced tomatoes with dinner, too! I'll go grab a couple." She darted back out the door.

Ema watched her go, and went back into the kitchen. "I wonder what that's all about."

Klavier looked up from the potatoes he was quartering. "Apparently she would like tomatoes with dinner."

"I didn't know she liked tomatoes, is what I meant." Ema said with a shrug. She dumped the beans out on the counter and starting looking for another pan. She'd been helping Klavier cook since she arrived earlier that afternoon, Kay having volunteered to go out and pick vegetables. So far it's been …nice. She wouldn't have suspected that she would end up using that word, but she's trying to give him a chance, and it's going well. There's really no way to get around talking about the war. Even the seemingly mundane articles in the newspaper go back to it: who, for example, had gathered the most metal in the local scrap drive, and what the Ladies Aid Society's next fundraiser would be for the wounded soldiers were two of the more mundane articles, together with soldier news: who was missing in action, who was in a prison camp overseas, and who had been awarded various honors for their service.

Larry had been uncharacteristically thoughtful earlier that week and had come by to warn all of them, but Klavier in particular, that Munich had been bombed and the paper was going to have to mention it.

Navigating the minefield of discussion topics, though, gets easier when they both stick to talking about work.

Ema would like to complain about the fact that Klavier already has a job in the legal field, but refrained. She knows how long Klavier went without work when he first came to town, while she was hired at the first place she applied at. Still, the thought nags at her; her older sister and her sister's boyfriend (though Mr. Edgeworth tended to wince whenever he heard that word, and would insist that "beau" was much more dignified) both work there. She wanted to work there too, and help solve crimes.

For now, though, she listened to Klavier's stories of working in the courthouse, and she'll compare them with anything Lana tells her later. When Klavier is finished, she tells him about Mrs. Oldbag, her least favorite client.

"You should have heard her give me a lecture about the pictures on the stamps. I was surprised she wasn't complaining about how the mail isn't cash on delivery anymore."

Klavier flashed a radiant smile at her. "Achtung! Really? In the midst of everything else going on, she was complaining about the stamps?!"

"I know! I couldn't believe it. But once Wendy Oldbag gets going, there's no way to shut her up. The postmaster had to come escort her out of the building." Ema finished, and grinned. Oldbag hadn't shut up even as the postmaster had taken her by the elbow and walked her out of the building.

The front door opened a moment later, interrupting their camaraderie. Phoenix came in with with Trucy who's started spending her afternoons at the law office when she's out of school. She talked about having big plans, but won't tell anyone what they are yet.

And then Kay came in the back door with two tomatoes.

Lana arrived next. "Miles might not be coming. I guess he's opened his house up to several members of the police precinct, so he went home. But I don't know if he's staying there once he's done that or not."

Phoenix looked up from where he was helping set the table. Kay was bringing a plate of sliced tomatoes over and placed them on the table. "That's up to him." Phoenix said as he laid out the plates. "He knows he's welcome." Trucy was going around with the silverware.

Apollo was the last to come home; as the food was being put on the table.

"Perfect timing." Phoenix complemented him as Apollo walked into the house. "Are you going to join us?"

"Soon as I clean up." Apollo promised, darting up the stairs.

By the time he's come back downstairs, Edgeworth's car is pulling into the driveway.

"We didn't think you were coming tonight." Lana said as Apollo took his seat back at the table and Edgeworth walked in.

"Gumshoe will keep things under control. And anyway, they're all more comfortable when I'm not around." Edgeworth said. He went into the kitchen, pulled out the proper utensils, and came to the dining room. Phoenix pulled up one of the simple wooden chairs that usually sat against the back wall and Edgeworth joined them.

"I'm surprised Larry didn't come with you."

"Don't even _think_ about that man, Wright." Edgeworth warned him.

(-)

When dinner was over, Trucy and Kay washed the dishes while Lana and Ema dried them. Phoenix put the food away. The others started bringing chairs into the living room and closing the curtains.

"I'm so glad we get to have blackouts." Apollo complained as they were closing the curtains in the dining room. "What an exercise in uselessness."

"We have to make sure that no ships can get blown up!" Trucy called.

"We can't even see the ocean from here, and once you're in town you have to go another mile and a half or something like that to get on the other the side of the woods between the town and the ocean." Apollo told her. He let go of the curtains and crossed his arms over his chest. "I could see needing to do these blackouts if we could see the water, but we can't here. There's no point in doing this."

"True." Edgeworth jumped in. "This is not going to help anything. It's designed to make us all feel like we're in this together." He finished, and started moving another chair to the living room.

Klavier was in the living room, counting in German under his breath. "… _sechs, sieben, acht_. We have enough chairs." He informed Edgeworth.

"Good." Edgeworth said, standing next to the chair he'd just brought in. Klavier was probably going to sit on the hearth again, and Trucy and Phoenix, at least would probably be on the couch, but just in case, they wanted to be ready.

Klavier was already pulling the curtains in the living room shut. Phoenix entered, followed by Trucy and the others, now done with the kitchen work.

Edgeworth took a seat in one of the dining room chairs he'd brought in. Apollo came in next. "We should be clear for the blackout." He said. "All the lights are off."

"Good." Phoenix said, sitting down on the couch. Trucy sat next to him, sandwiched between him and Apollo.

Ema took one of the plush chairs in the room. Lana took a seat near Edgeworth. Klavier vanished upstairs and reappeared with his guitar a moment later. He was just in time too, because then the sirens went off.

The blackout had begun.

Kay took the other seat across from Ema, and tucked her feet under her. Then she looked at Klavier. "Can you play 'Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag?"

"No!" Edgeworth answered before Klavier could say anything in response.

"It's alright," Klavier said, holding one hand up. "I've played it before."

Edgeworth gave him a long look. Then he asked, "The Borscht Bowl?"

"Ja. I just wouldn't sing the words." Klavier admitted.

"Why not?" Trucy asked.

"The song Kay wants to hear is a song from the Great War." Klavier replied. "It's…not one I intend to sing."

"Really?"

Phoenix had finally placed the song title. "We'll talk about it later, Trucy."

Klavier plays through the song for Kay. For her part, Kay sings only the chorus and skips all the verses. "You're really good with that guitar." Kay says when the song is finished. "Do you know the Battle Hymn of the Republic?"

"I have never of it before." Klavier said.

"It's an old song that was famous during the Civil War." Kay said.

Phoenix suddenly straightened up in his chair. "I think we have a song book that has that one in it if you're game to try it." He said, glancing at Klavier. The German nodded.

"Ema, look behind you in the bookshelf and see if you can find a skinny book with a worn, red spine." Phoenix directed. Ema did so, and came out with a much-used slender volume of popular music.

Even though all the shades are drawn and most of the lights in the rest of the house are off, Phoenix does have one light on in the living room. Klavier moves into the room and sits on the floor, his back against the couch. He's nearest to Apollo now, who's sitting under the light.

Ema hands the book to Klavier, who wipes the dust off the top of it and starts to flip through it. He find the song and examines the music. "I might be able to play this. I'll try it anyway, yes?" He said, turning a couple of pegs at the top of his guitar. "You will have to help, Herr Forehead." Klavier said, handing the book to Apollo, and then adjusting Apollo's arm until the book was in front of Klavier.

"Really?" Apollo asked when Klavier was done and Apollo was holding the book in front of Klavier's face for him.

"Move your thumb down a little," Klavier ordered. "You're covering up that note." Apollo did as he was told, and Klavier played the song through.

"That was probably a really patriotic song back in its day." Ema said, following Kay's example and tucking her feet up underneath her.

Klaveir frowned, and took the book from Apollo's hand. He closed it and set it down, and then fiddled with his guitar pegs again and started to play something else, slower and unfamiliar to his audience.

Edgeworth's face became pensive as he listened to the song. Phoenix saw his look and realized immediately that the prosecutor recognized whatever Klavier was playing. When the song has ended, Edgeworth says, "Play it again, please."

The German obliged, and played it through once more.

"What is that song?" Trucy asks when the song is over.

" _Deutschlandlied_." Edgeworth says quietly. "A patriotic song for Germany." He looked a little sad when he'd finished explaining, and Phoenix and Lana both knew he was thinking of years spent overseas and his sister whose outrage at what's happened in her homeland had caused her to leave and join the fight, and help the Allies.

"Have you heard from your sister?" Lana asked, looping her arm through Edgeworth's.

"I have. I got a letter the other day." With his free hand, Edgeworth reached into his suit jacket and pulls out a sheet of paper written in German on the front and back, and riddled with holes from the censors. "She's got to learn to not write on the front and back of the paper."

Conversation drifts into safer waters after that. Periodically, it's interrupted by someone requesting a song from Klavier.

Long after the siren has sounded to alert them that the blackout is over, they stay in the living room, talking and laughing, and listening to music.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** Censors were everywhere during the war, because of fear that mail containing sensitive information would fall into enemy hands. That's why Franziska's letter to Edgeworth is full of holes. The censors would have cut out or blacked out anything they thought was too sensitive. In this case, they cut out the parts that seemed like they might provide clues. To be honest, the censors may have gotten carried away; I've heard some stories that references to the weather were censored, because the forecast from the day the letter was written would be helpful to the Axis Powers a week later. (A lot of things happened in WWII that leave me scratching my head, to be honest.)

The song Kay is singing at the beginning of this story is actually from World War I (or the Great War, as it would have been known in the period this story is set in.) It's called "Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag," the same one she asked Klavier to play. If you've ever watched the Peanuts cartoon special "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," then you may have heard this. When Snoopy as the World War I Flying Ace crashes the Halloween Party and Schroeder plays music for him, it's one of the songs Schroeder plays. Snoopy actually smiles in time to the instructions to the chorus while Schroeder plays it. The reason Edgeworth objects to Klavier playing it, and the reason Klavier won't actually sing the words to it, is because in one of the verses there's a line that goes "when a throng of boches came along" - bosche is another derogatory term for a German.

Blackouts were, as Edgeworth said, something that was done to make sure everyone knew we were all in this together. Wikipedia actually has an animation that shows why blackouts along the waterfront are valuable. You really can see a ship move based on the lights in the background, but I have heard about blackouts that happened where I live, and listen if the German planes in WWII had made it to Indiana, I don't think the blackout or lack thereof would have been the big problem. The town where the Wright family lives is kind of close to the water, but I'm not sure you can see any lights with that much forest between the town and the water.

 _Deutschlandlied_ is, as Edgeworth noted, and patriotic song for Germany and some variant has been the anthem of Germany since 1922, according to all the info I get from the Wikipedia. The version I had in mind for this story is the tabs lesson by Lekcije Za Gitaru over on YouTube. The only part you need is the first minute and twelve seconds unless you want to learn to play it as this YouTuber plays it through and then shows the tabs used. I wanted to name this chapter after a line in the song, but that didn't happen.

Red, I would have sent a PM but you don't seem to have an account. Reviews are always appreciated - no need to apologize for them! Your review of chapter 18 made me laugh, and I'm glad you like my interpretation of Kristoph here. (He had so much potential in the game, and it was all wasted.) I didn't catch that thing with Phoenix's matagama, so thanks for pointing that out. The Feys were supposed to be referenced, there was a scene where Phoenix gets a letter from Maya but that didn't make it in because I couldn't find a good place to put it. Most people don't understand the significance of Phoenix's Special Green Rock but he did get it from Maya. Now that you've raised the question I might try and put that scene back in.

Alright. I think that's everything. Next chapter will wrap up 1943, and then in Chapter 44 we'll pick the action back up! At least that's my plan, anyway.

Please review!


	43. When the Lights Go On Again

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

[ **A/N:** Apropos music to listen to while reading this chapter is Pentatonix' rendition of "Hallelujah." It's actually what I listened to while I wrote this chapter.]

* * *

 **Chapter 43: When the Lights Go On Again**

 _Christmas, 1943_

 _Munich, Germany_

 _Frohe Weihnachten._

Another letter from Klavier had arrived earlier that month, but Kristoph has been saving it. He lets himself get sentimental around Christmas, sometimes, because he remembers the Christmases when his parents and brother were both around, and he held onto those memories later on, when it was just himself and Klavier.

So now that it's just himself, he saves the letter from Klavier until Christmas Day.

On Christmas Day, early in the afternoon, Kristoph has opened one of the sitting rooms at the front of the house, next to the library that spends so many days of the year alone and empty now that Klavier has gone.

Kristoph brings up a tray of food for himself from the kitchen, bread and cheese and cold meat, along with some apple butter. He makes a second trip and comes back up with a bottle of wine and a glass. His last trips to the black market have been overwhelming successes.

He's uncharacteristically pleased. Christmas Eve provided him an opportunity by means of a day off to stay home and get caught up on his ongoing work to divest all of the family assets and move them to Switzerland. The work on that front is nearly done.

When the war is over, anyway, he doesn't want to be a businessman. He wants to be a defense attorney. He's done some defense work already, but not nearly as much as he would have liked to do.

His knee hasn't been bothering him much these last couple of days either, in spite of the weather, like the fat wet snowflakes coming down outside the window of the sitting room. Going without his cane is a nice change.

There's enough fuel for the fireplace in the room to keep it going for several hours. He has his food, and wine. Kristoph sits on an oversized plush chair near the windows, positioned in such a way that he can see both the door and the fireplace depending on which direction he looks. On the table is a small portable radio he'd moved from another room the other day. Kristoph puts his feet up on a hassock and turns the radio on. He keeps the volume turned down so low that he can just barely hear it, and tunes it to the BBC.

Kristoph uncorks the wine and pours himself a glass, and tugged the table that had his tray of food on it a little closer.

He sips some of the wine, and sets the glass back down. Then he turns his attention to the letter from Klavier. Since the incident when Klavier's last letter vanished, the lock on his desk drawer has not worked properly. Kristoph had moved the bottle of perfume down to the valise in the scullery permanently, and the latest letter is pinned inside his waistcoat, to keep it safe. He's trying not to worry about the missing letter, but the fact that it vanished without a trace is concerning. He would suspect Lt. Mander, as it's just the kind of thing the other man would do, but he thought that if Mander had broken in and stolen it, he would have heard something about the letter by now. For today, though, Kristoph tries to put worries of that nature out of his mind.

When he's done with this letter, though, it will go down with the other letters in the valise in the scullery. But for now, Kristoph unpins the letter from his waistcoat, sets the pin down near the radio, and starts to read.

Outside the window, the fat white flakes of snow continue to fall.

 **= End 1943 =**

* * *

 **[A/N:]** This chapter is named after a WWII song. This chapter and chapter 42 narrowly missed getting axed right out of the story, but I felt like that would throw off the pacing if we stopped at Chapter 41, closed 1943 and then jumped right into 1944. This chapter was especially a close call, because this was written before Christmas last year, and it was going to be my third chapter referencing Christmas in three months, and I didn't really want to write it. Then I thought I could write about what Kristoph was doing, and thought that would be okay.

Not too much to note here. Kristoph's been at the black market again for his Christmas day celebrations, and listening to the BBC was not allowed in Germany or any occupied country because of the BBC's habit of telling the truth on the air. (I think they need to go back to that mission statement, but that's just me.) So they wouldn't report propaganda, they would report what actually happened in different battles. They were not well-liked by the Third Reich for that and other reasons. the German at the beginning is supposed to translate to "Merry Christmas."

Huh will you look at that. The year 1943 ends in Chapter 43. There's all sorts of interesting things going on in this story that I didn't plan.

Please review.


	44. Moonlight and Madness

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 44: Moonlight and Madness**

 **~1944 ~**

Lt Mander has been thinking about what to do about the Pfalzgraf Gavin situation. Whatever he does will have to be subtle, swift, and careful. Gavin has made it abundantly clear through his actions that he's very capable of planning ahead, and if he gets even the faintest hint of what Mander is up to, there's no telling what he'll do.

He ponders some different plans through the Christmas holiday.

Towards the end of the winter in 1944, he decides on a course of action.

When he decides to act, he meets with his selected officer at the Gestapo office, not the war communications office. He doesn't want to take any risks that what he's about to do will get back to Kristoph. He's still convinced that Kristoph is the spy in the office, in spite of the poisoning incident.

Information keeps getting out, and he has no proof that Gavin is behind it. But his intuition says that it's Gavin. And he will prove it, now that he's got these letters.

He decides to leave Sgt. Berger out of the discussion as well. Berger is on friendly terms with Gavin, and there's always a risk that Berger will let Gavin in one what's going on.

There comes a knock on the door of Lt. Mander's office door. "Enter!"

The door opens and Captain Leitz walks in salutes. "Heil Hitler!" Leitz is a tall man with dark hair, dark eyes, and a prominent scar on his right cheek.

"Heil Hitler!" Mander returns the salute. "Close the door and come sit down."

Leitz does so, and takes a seat in front of the desk. "I got your message."

"I have an assignment for you. I need you to lead a mission to America. This will be two-fold. First, you're going to drop off another team of saboteurs to try and stage another attack."

"Are you hoping this will go better then the last ones?" Leitz asked.

"Here's hoping." Mander replied. "Your mission will be a little different. I need you to find someone and bring them back." He slid a photograph across the desk. "This is Kristoph Gavin. I only show you this because he and his brother look almost identical, so the picture will help you. I need his younger brother, Klavier Gavin, brought back to Germany."

Leitz picked up the photo and bent it gently between his fingers. "Really? Is this important? If you'll pardon my forwardness, I daresay that this country has other problems right now."

"It does." Mander said grimly. "I believe that Kristoph Gavin has been leaking information, but I don't know to whom, and I can't prove it. What I can prove is that he lied when he said his younger brother was in Switzerland. Klavier Gavin has been in America and Kristoph Gavin has known it these last three years. So, I intend to get the truth out of him as to which side of this war he's on. To do that, I'm going to need leverage. I need you to take…maybe two other men with you, find Klavier Gavin and bring him back. Once I have him, I'll have leverage over Kristoph."

"And when you get the truth?" Leitz asked.

"That depends on what I find out." Mander said.

"If you find out that Kristoph Gavin is the traitor you believe him to be?"

"In that case, he can take a one-way trip to Dachau. His younger brother can go fight on the Western Front. The Army can always use more soldiers. Or go to Dachau too. I'll figure out what to do with the younger one once I've dealt with the elder. I will give you the address of the last known location of Klavier Gavin. Don't let anyone know your mission. Leave as soon as you can. Take a U-boat to get there. You'll need stealth."

"Of course, sir!" Leitz said, getting to his feet. "I'll make the arrangements right away."

"Leitz." Mander said as the other man turned towards the door. Leitz turned to face him. "I have reviewed your file, as you would expect. I want you to remember that I need Klavier Gavin alive and in one piece when you bring him back. Don't rough him up too much. That won't do until we have an audience for the occasion."

Leitz nodded with a smirk, then turned and exited the building.

He had some plans to lay out.

(-)

The air raid warning is over, but the building is still largely empty. It would make sense that people would drift home after the incident.

In the deserted back room of the café, Kristoph is still sipping his beer. He had not evacuated, as he knew exactly which area of Munich was in the crosshairs tonight, and unless a bomber missed, which was always possible, this area should be safe. It had been a long day at work, and he appreciated the change of scenery and the fact that no one else was around. His suit jacket is draped over the back of the chair he's sitting in, and his Ulster hangs on a coat rack in the corner of the room.

The sound of someone stomping into the room made him look up. Franz von Metz was clumping his way towards the table Kristoph was sitting at. He took a seat across from the other man, and slammed a bottle of French wine down on the table. "Herr Gavin."

"Herr von Metz." Kristoph said coolly. This was the last person he wanted to see right now.

"I hope you don't mind if I sit here." It took Kristoph, who was already a little buzzed, a moment to realize that the other man was, if not actually drunk, certainly on his way to it and a lot farther along than Kristoph was.

"As a matter of fact, I do. There are many other tables available. You don't need to sit here." Kristoph said angrily.

He will never claim to be a moral person. He doesn't like things that get in the way of his plans, and he usually goes through the things and people that get in his way, rather than around.

Except when Klavier was the one who got in the way. He always went around Klavier, even when it was an inconvenience, or when it made him have to scrap his original plans.

"I don't know what you intend to do to stop me, cripple." Franz replied, casting a disdainful glance at Kristoph's cane, which hung on the edge of the table, as he sat down.

For a moment, Kristoph feels anger rising up in him, but he shoved it back down. One misstep in the game he's playing with the Nazis might cost him his life. He can't afford to make mistakes.

He would finish his beer and go home. Tomorrow, he would look for information on von Metz's next assignment and see how quickly he can get that information to London so that they can send out bombers.

Franz von Metz kept going. "Have you heard from that coward brother of yours lately?"

Kristoph glared at the other man. "I hardly see why having an objection to war is a cowardly thing."

"If your brother had any courage, he'd be fighting."

Kristoph was still glaring. "I daresay I know more than you about the effects of war, regardless of who wins."

 _The explosion when the ordinance had gone off had been deafening, but so was the silence that had followed…_

Franz slammed his glass back down on the table. "Every German should be doing their part to win the war for the Fuhrer. Your coward of a brother and my traitor of a sister are examples of what not to be!" He poured the last of wine back into the glass and started to gulp it.

Kristoph set his beer stein back on the table, very carefully. His knuckles were white, but his hand was tensing and un- tensing. He opened his hand and reached up to push his glasses back up on his face. "I will thank you to never speak of Klavier that way again." He said. "How he chooses to live his life is not my concern. If he chooses to stay out of war, that's not my concern either. And didn't you mother ever teach you not to speak ill of the dead?"

"I'll speak as ill of her and your brother as I want." Franz retorted. "Or does the truth bother you that much? My sister did smuggle Jews and defy the laws of this country. She should have hung for it."

And then all Kristoph can see in his mind is Heidi, lying on the ground as her life slipped away, telling him that she had jumped. He wonders if Klavier would have faced that same choice, to die by his own hand or wait for the Gestapo to show up and do it for him, if the monster sitting in front of Kristoph had known earlier what Kristoph knew now.

In that instant, the hatred in his heart solidifies. Kristoph reaches for the wine bottle on the table as he rises to his feet.

And then all he can see is red.

(-)

Kristoph walks the streets of Munich, his Ulster coat pulled around his shoulders. He walks home by memory, not seeing the roads.

The smell of smoke is still filling the air; the Allied bombing raid had been successful.

He turns down his own street, and sees the first person he'd seen since out and about since he left the café. Frau Dreier is standing out on her front porch, looking up at the waning half-moon. She heard the faint sound of footsteps and looked down. "Herr Moonlight," She said.

Kristoph started, and looked at her. For a moment, they looked at each other. "What has happened to you?" Dreier asked. She isn't sure that anything happened, but there was something about the look on Kristoph's face that made her wonder.

The blond schooled his expression and smiled at her. "Nothing. Nothing is wrong."

Dreier frowned. "Come inside," She said, and turned and entered her home. After a moment, Kristoph came up the walk way and followed her inside, closing the door behind him.

He followed her through the house until they came to a small sitting room. A fire was going in a cast iron stove there, and it was the only source of light in the room.

Dreier gestured to a sofa set in front of the stove. "Sit down."

Kristoph sat, stiffly.

"I did raise a son," Dreier said, as calmly as if she was discussing the latest military reports. "I learned to tell when he was lying to me." She looked at Kristoph. "I think you're lying to me."

Kristoph's eyes narrowed. "Do you have any evidence to prove your theory?"

"None whatsoever." She replied, unperturbed. "But something has unsettled you. I can see it on your face."

Kristoph adjusted his glasses. "Franz von Metz is dead."

Dreier considered that. "Hm. I wonder what his parents will think."

Kristoph looked at her. "Do you care that he's dead?"

"Should I? A wonderful young woman with a big heart killed herself because her brother turned her in to the Gestapo." Dreier didn't sound bitter, but she sorely missed the younger woman, who used to come by with flowers and bits of news and visit with her for hours.

Kristoph laughed. It was low and bitter. "I killed him. He turned his sister in. He would have done the same to Klavier, too, if he could have."

Dreier considered it. "Take your coat off."

Kristoph did, shrugging out of his coat. When he did, the dried blood on the cuffs of his white dress shirt was visible. When he took off his suit jacket, more blood was visible on the sleeves of his shirt.

The old woman clicked her tongue and shook her head. "Stay here." She left the room and returned a few minutes later with a load of clothes in her arms. She set them down in a chair. The first item she picked up out of the stack in the chair was a robe, which she tossed to Kristoph. "Put that on."

There was a long pause, and Dreier went on. "Just change your clothes. I was married for thirty-eight years and I raised a son. If you intend to not get caught, those clothes will need to get burned."

"My coat and jacket will be fine." Kristoph said as he changed into the robe. "They were…out of the way."

"That's good." Dreier took the rest of his discarded clothing and fed the items into the stove, carefully.

"You surprise me, Frau Dreier," Kristoph said.

For a long moment, she said nothing. Then, as she fed the last garments into the stove, she stood and turned to face him. "When I first married, I dreamed of having many children. I wanted a large family. I never got one. I had one son, who you know was killed in the war. By the time Heidi died, she was like the daughter I never had. It's just as well, since she no longer had a mother by the time she died." She walked to a table in a dark corner of a room, and came back with a decanter and a glass. "Drink." She ordered, setting the items down.

Kristoph poured a glass of liquor and started to sip it slowly.

"I can't forgive what happened to Heidi," Frau Dreier said, turning her attention to the stack of items she'd brought back with her. "And I daresay that if someone had told Eric or Max what their younger brother did to their sister, they would have killed him for it themselves."

"I've saved them the trouble," Kristoph told her, but Dreier didn't seem to hear.

She was lost in her own thoughts, shaking her head. "That poor girl…" Then she shook her head and went back to digging through the things she'd brought down. She pulled out a pair of trousers out of the stack and tossed them to Kristoph. "Try those on, so that I know whether to let them down or hem them up."

Kristoph did as he was told. When he was done, they were both seated again, Kristoph with his drink and Dreier with the trousers she was now hemming up.

The blond watched the fire in front of him for a long moment. "I never wanted to raise Klavier."

"That's not surprising," Dreier said without looking up. "You were what, sixteen when your mother died? Hardly more than a child yourself."

Kristoph's hand tightened around his glass, and he took another gulp of the liquor. "My mother, on her death bed, wept because she was afraid of what would happen to her children once she was gone. I promised her that I would take care of Klavier and we would be fine." He gave a short, bitter laugh. "But that lunatic rose to power, and then there was a war."

"You've done your best. That's all anyone can do when they raise a child," Dreier said.

"And that bastard von Metz treated his sister like so much garbage. Regardless of what she did, she didn't deserve that."

"That is what separates the two of you. One of you knew what was important, the other did not," Dreier said, her tone flat. But then, she hadn't had much to do with emotions since her family was destroyed in one fell swoop. "One of you was a human being."

"A…human being? Is that what you think I am?"

Dreier actually looked up from her work when he said that. "Should I not?"

Kristoph started to laugh. It started low, but then it began to build, and it was clear that Kristoph had lost his grip on sanity.

Frau Dreier looked at him, and then she looked at the clock; her fingers sewing automatically as she began to count.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Three minutes.

When the clock showed three minutes, she set down her sewing and slapped Kristoph across the face, as hard as she could. He stopped laughing and looked at her, stunned.

"If you're going to lose your mind, you're going to have to wait until the rest of the country gets theirs back." Dreier informed him flatly.

He took a deep breath, and another sip of the liquor. "You're right."

"Stay here tonight," Dreier said.

After a moment, Kristoph nodded.

(-)

It was still dark the next morning when Kristoph arose. He had spent the night asleep on the couch. He was comfortable enough; Dreier had brought plenty of blankets for him.

He dressed in the clothes she had brought down the night before: a white dress shirt, black trousers, and a black vest. He put on his own shoes and his own suit jacket. He was glad he had worn dark shoes.

Dreier entered the room a moment later, a length of red ribbon in her hand. "I never took much to pink," She said. "Of course, I can give you your choice of cravats and ties if you would like them."

"The ribbon will be fine. Thank you," Kristoph said, taking the ribbon from her and tying it around his neck.

"Take this, too." She handed him a circle of silver, and he saw that it was a pin of crescent moon surrounded by a circle, set with tiny blue gemstones.

"Are you sure?" Kristoph asked.

"Yes. I have no one else to give it too. Give this to Herr Sunshine when you see him again." She handed him a small wrapped box.

"I may not see him again."

"But I daresay you will," Dreier said.

Kristoph picked up his cane and reached for his coat. "If someone asks where I was…"

"I'll tell them that it was nice of you to stop by and make sure I was alright since I wasn't feeling well. I'm just sorry you ended up having to stay all night," She said, unconcerned.

Kristoph had his coat on. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me," Frau Dreier said flatly. "I think that if I were a better woman, I would care about what you've done. But I'm not a better woman. I don't care. Poor Heidi has finally been avenged. Go. And remember me to Herr Sunshine when you see him again."

Kristoph nodded, and departed.

(-)

Word reaches the War Communications Office about the death of Captain von Metz that afternoon.

"Can you believe it? No suspects! Nothing! It's like someone had it out for him." Sgt. Berger said. He was sitting in front of the desk in Kristoph's office. Kristoph had been working on the next document in the pile on his desk, but he sets his pen down and turns his attention to the other man when he comes in.

"You know he turned his sister in to the Gestapo," Kristoph said, remembering what Dreier had said. "Are you sure that no one in his family did this to him?"

Berger threw up his hands. "That's the thing! Max von Metz came back home today on his leave. We interrogated him about what happened. He was furious! He hadn't known that his brother turned his sister in." Berger gripped the arms of the chair he was in and leaned forward. "I think that if Franz von Metz was still alive, his own brother would murder him in cold blood!"

"Well, that is a sticky situation." Kristoph said. "What now?"

"We will keep investigating it." Berger said, crossing his arms over his chest. "You know the von Metz family, don't you? You went to the funeral of that girl."

"She and my brother were very close once." Kristoph replied.

"Do you know of anyone who would want to kill Captain von Metz?"

"I would say…anyone who knew Fraulein von Metz," Kristoph said.

"That doesn't narrow it down very much," Berger said. He got to his feet. "I have to go back to work."

"Of course. Please keep me posted. As you said, I did know the family," Kristoph said. "And congratulations on your promotion, by the way."

Berger beamed. "Thank you. And of course I'll keep you posted. By the way, that's a very nice pin you're wearing. It suits you somehow."

"Thank you. It was a gift from a friend." Kristoph replied, touching the crescent moon pin at his throat, on the red ribbon.

"Heil Hitler!" Berger saluted.

"Heil Hitler." Kristoph returned, already turning his attention back to the stack of papers on his desk.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** The incident in this chapter was based on the incident in the game.

One of the more surprising things that I learned about the war back in high school was that America wasn't as protected by the ocean as one would think. There were at least two incidents where saboteurs were sent to America, and both of the attempts were thwarted. One of the attempts was actually thwarted by two of the would-be saboteurs who confessed to the FBI as to who they were and what they were doing in America. Also, the Pacific coast did get hit by Japanese rockets during the war.

This is the chapter where I start to play with history a little, in the manner of: could Heinz Mander actually send a team out to extract Klavier from America and bring him back to Germany? During the war, Hitler created a lot of backbiting institutions that liked to one-up each other, so maybe. If Mander can manage to out Kristoph as a spy, that would be a big boost for Mander's career, as well as help the war effort on the German side, a little, in theory. But the other side of this is that by this point in the war, Mander is probably better off at least taking the letters to Colonel Hass and showing them to him before he embarks on the next stage of his crusade because Germany didn't really have extra resources to spare at this point in the war. They had gotten curbstomped by General Winter in Russia, and Italy has surrendered by this point. Of course, if Mander does take the letters and who them to his superiors, Kristoph might get a chance to defend himself, and Hass already likes Kristoph, so I think it's a safe guess as to why Mander would simply send out the expedition.

The chapter title comes from a song by Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

Please review!


	45. Slouching Towards America

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 45: Slouching Towards America**

 _Munich, Germany_

 _February 1944  
_

Two weeks after Franz von Metz is mysteriously murdered, Kristoph comes into his office at the War Communications building one morning to find an envelope on his desk, addressed to him. He opens it to find a letter of commendation from Colonel Hass, along with a small swastika pin. It's a thank-you for all of the work he's done in the office. The letter makes the Colonel sound almost jubilant, but most everyone has been jubilant since the news came that an entire U.S. regiment was destroyed by German forces and other American forces defeated. Kristoph is the only one in the office who hasn't been celebrating. Outwardly he keeps smiling at the news, but he suspects this is only a temporary setback for the Allies.

 _Isn't it ironic…_ Kristoph thinks, then puts it all back in the envelope and sets it aside.

He's just started work when there comes an excited knock on the door, and Sgt Berger bursts in before he has a chance to answer the knock. "Herr Gavin! Colonel Hass wanted me to be sure you that you saw the commendation he left you!"

Berger has the enthusiasm of an excited puppy. Kristoph smiled at him. "I did see it. Please pass my thanks onto the Colonel. I appreciate him taking notice of the work I do, though I can't say that I do more than anyone else here. Everyone should work hard for the Fatherland, after all."

Berger beamed. "You are a true patriot, and a credit to this country! I'm just sorry that we couldn't have the full ceremony to recognize yourself and the others here in the office who have received this award."

 _Isn't it ironic…_ Kristoph smiled. "Thank you. I have, uh, quite a stack of work here that needs to be dealt with, Sergeant."

"Of course, of course!" Berger said, and saluted. "Heil Hitler!"

"Heil Hitler." Kristoph returned the salute, and Berger vanished through the door. As soon as he was gone, the blond shook his head and went back to work.

(-)

 _America_

 _March 1944  
_

"You know what I don't like about you, Fop?" Ema said, her tone serious.

"I can't imagine what someone would dislike about me, Fraulien." Klavier said, giving her his most charming smile.

"Your European sensibilities are a bit much sometimes. I'm fine! I just slipped! My ankle isn't twisted and you don't have to carry me!" Ema exclaimed. Klavier had been walking her home after work that day when she had fallen and thought, for a moment, that she had turned her ankle. But after a moment, it had become obvious to her that she was just fine.

Klavier hadn't believed her, and decided to carry her to her house, much to Ema's chagrin.

"You said it hurt to walk." Klavier replied.

"It hurt because I fell. It's fine now. Would you put me down?" Ema demanded.

"But we are almost to your house, _Liebchen_."

Ema crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't know how you intend to open the front door."

Klavier didn't set her down, but he did bend down and manage to get the front door open with one hand. "Just like that." He said, and smiled at her again.

The living room was right there after the front door was opened. Klavier carried her inside and set her on the couch.

"I hope you're happy." Ema said, glaring at him.

" _Ja_." Klavier said, giving her a grin.

"Well good. As long as you're happy." Ema said, frustrated, crossing her arms over her chest again and looking away.

"Don't be upset, Ema." Klavier said, tugging her right hand free and kissing it. A gold bracelet set with sparkling blue topaz stones slid down her wrist as he did. The bracelet had been a gift that Klavier had given her earlier that year, just a few weeks before he began walking her home at the end of the workday. Etched on the clasp of the bracelet was the same crest that was on his signet ring.

Ema pulled her hand free. "Fine, I forgive you for ignoring me when I said I was fine. Go home. Don't get in trouble on the way."

Klavier headed towards the door. "Same time tomorrow, Fraulein?" He asked, a sly look on his face.

"Hmph! I'll be upset if you don't." Ema said, looking at the floor. "But tomorrow I expect you to let me walk."

Klavier smiled, and vanished out the door.

(-)

 _Pine Ridge_

 _America_

 _Late March, 1944  
_

Kay Faraday was dealing with a deep, important question: _why on earth did I agree to go out with this fool?_ She was pondering it as she stood watching Sebastian try, and fail, to climb a tree.

It would be funny, she thought, if he wasn't so outrageously bad at it. How had their quiet date in the park turned into this?

The sun was beginning to set, and Kay was sitting on a blanket in the park, wondering how long it would be before Sebastian, who had finally managed to get a good hold on the lowest branch of the tree, fell out of it and broke something.

She sighed and started to pack up the picnic things, putting the food and dishes back in the hamper. She had started to brush grass off the blanket when she heard Sebastian call down to her. "You see! I'm making it to the top!"

Kay snorted. "That's great. How are you going to make it back down?"

"The same way I came up! You see, I have many talents."

Kay rolled her eyes and started to fold the blanket up. _I guess I'd be impressed if we were still in grade school._

"Excuse me," A voice with the faintest trace of an accent said behind her, and Kay turned to see a tall man with dark hair and a scar on his right cheek behind her. "I was wondering if you could tell me where to find Goa Road."

Kay sat back on her knees and thought it over. "The only Goa Road I know of isn't here in Pine Ridge, it's in the next town over."

"My directions must be wrong." The man said, and smiled at her. "Thank you, Frau- end."

"Are you new here?" Kay asked, giving the man a curious look.

"I am." The man replied. He smiled at her and moved off.

Kay watched him go, and looked confused. The man's accent reminded her of Klavier's. But unlike Klavier, she didn't feel this man was trustworthy, and she didn't like his behavior. She thought the situation over, and decided not to mention it. With Sebastian's proclivities, if she mentioned someone with a German accent who had been behaving suspiciously, he would just end up arresting Klavier again and she didn't want to deal with that headache a second time.

Sebastian fell out of the tree a moment later, squishing some of the early spring flowers that littered the grass under the tree. "Don't worry! I'm fine."

Kay thought about telling him she never worried about him and didn't care if he was fine. _Why did I agree to go out with this clown?_ "Listen, Sebastian, we have to talk."

"About what?" He asked, sitting up and looking at her.

"You don't impress me! I don't care that you can climb a tree. My four-year-old cousin could do that. You never try to be yourself! I don't know the real you, and I'm not happy about it." Kay said, crossing her arms.

Sebastian looked ashamed, and got to his feet. "Well…I always wanted to be a conductor. And practice law like my father, but, mostly I wanted to be a conductor."

"So, why don't you try that and stop trying to impress me with…with...tree-climbing!" Kay finished.

Sebastian looked shaken, but he nodded, a resolute look spreading over his face. "Okay! I will! And I don't care if my father tells me that music is a useless pursuit! I'm gonna follow my dream and make you proud of me, Kay darling!"

"Stop calling me darling." Kay complained, thrusting the picnic blanket into his arms. "I hope so. Come on. Let's go home before it gets any darker."

 _I don't dislike you, I don't think, but I want to know the real you, not the you you pretend to be._

(-)

 _Munich, Germany_

 _Late March, 1944  
_

Most of the time, Kristoph slept through the air raids on Munich, largely because he didn't care that they were happening.

It had hurt, in the beginning, when he realized that the British intended to destroy the city he had lived in and loved his whole life, but feelings were messy things, so Kristoph put them away and ignored them. He slept through the bombings because he usually had to go to work the next morning and he'd survived one bombing already, so he didn't really care about the ongoing ones.

Tonight, though, he had received a warning from Franziska von Karma that his neighborhood was in the crosshairs of the Allied bombers.

It had been an interesting afternoon. Colonel Hass had come by, escorting a General who was followed by Franziska von Karma, who Hass had introduced as the General's new special friend.

Kristoph had said nothing, but smiled politely when introduced and when Hass had congratulated him on his hard work in front of the general.

Franziska had shaken his hand and when she had done so, passed a note to him to warn him about the bombing that would be taking place.

He had, in turn, stopped on the way home to warn Frau Dreier about it. She had given him a long look, and said, "If only all the offices got such good information. The war would be over already."

"Well, that can't be helped." Kristoph said.

"Have a good evening, Herr Moonlight." Frau Dreier said. She wasn't going to evacuate, and they both knew it.

"You do the same, Frau Dreier." Kristoph had said, and then gone home.

He had made himself dinner, and double-checked the contents of his valise. Nothing was missing, and the package that Frau Dreier had given him to give to Klavier along with the last letter from his younger brother were in there as well. He added additional changes of clothes, his pajamas, and robe, since he didn't plan on sleeping tonight.

The last assets had been sold off and the funds moved out of the country, which meant that even if the worst happened tonight in theory, he stood to lose very little.

Just the house he and his brother had grown up in. But honestly, he hadn't been expecting it to stay standing this long.

So he sat in the scullery and waited for the worst.

It didn't take long, either. The sun had just sunk out of view when the warning sirens began to wail and the explosions began. The sound of anti-aircraft guns kicks off seconds after the sirens do.

The problem, as it turns out as the battle rages through the night, isn't the bombs. It's the wind.

A bomb lands on the house next door. Even though there's comfortable distance between the two houses, the wind had been strong all day, and had grown stronger overnight. The explosion takes out the side of the house where Kristoph's bedroom and office are, but that might have been the extent of the damage, if it wasn't for the wind that had encouraged sparks to become flames.

The smell of smoke is what first tells Kristoph that something is wrong. He was sitting on his cot in the scullery, reading, as he had been all night, when the smoke smell suddenly becomes more obvious, and then the light goes out. He debated for a moment with the merits of going back into the house to see what's wrong, because it certainly wouldn't be any safer outside. Kristoph takes a flashlight and goes back into the house through the kitchen. It isn't until he's out of the kitchen, and back to the staircase that leads upstairs to the wing he and Klavier lived in, that he sees the flames.

The bombing hasn't stopped during any of this. Kristoph goes back to the scullery to get his valise and cane, and then he sits and waits with the doors between the scullery, kitchen, and the rest of the house open. The city is under a blackout and will be until dawn, so unless he wants to try making it to somewhere else that might be safer in complete darkness, he doesn't have much choice but to stay here until he no longer can.

The Fire Brigade should be working on putting the fires out, but depending on how many fires there are, and with the bombing still ongoing, they might be spread too thin. The fire burns on, even as the sounds of airplanes overhead fade away and the raid is finally over. The flames finally become visible through the doorway of the kitchen, and it's clear that nothing will stop this fire other then it burning itself out. Kristoph takes his cane and the valise, tucks the book he was reading into the pocket of his Ulster coat, and departs.

The first light of dawn is just starting to come up over the horizon when Kristoph steps out into the morning dew. Frau Dreier's house is gone. The house next door is gone, and Kristoph's home is still burning, though he can see that there are men trying to fight the fires up the road. The neighborhood has been nearly obliterated in the raid.

He joins the straggle of refugees heading away from the destruction. Later that morning, he will find out that the Communications office has been destroyed as well. For now, he heads in the direction the other refugees are going.

A refugee from war, while in his own country.

He wants to laugh at the irony as he walks away from the rapidly collapsing ruins of his family home, but the laughter doesn't come.

(-)

 _Pine Ridge, America_

 _About the Same Day_

Kay hadn't forgotten the man with the accent that she had seen earlier that week. It had been bothering her, but she hadn't been sure what to do about it.

Several times during the day at her job she had been tempted to pick up the phone and call Mr. Edgeworth, who had given her his office and home phone number and told her to call him if she ever needed anything.

I _just need someone to talk to about what I saw_. But she didn't call him. She didn't want the operator to listen in, and she was sure that the office phone was a party line.

Sebastian met her at their usual restaurant for lunch that afternoon. "What's on your mind, Kay?" he asked after they had placed their orders.

"I don't know." Kay said.

"I want to help you, Kay," Sebastian said. "With whatever you need." He's been working harder lately on being more of gentleman, and more of himself, and things are turning around for the pair.

Kay considered it. If she could talk to Edgeworth in person, that might be the best option. "I want to visit a friend, tonight. Will you take me?"

"Of course!" Sebastian said. "I'll come by and get you when you get off work."

Kay smiled. "Thank you. So tell me, how's the conducting going?"

"I've gotten my first job. I'm going to lead the, uh, musical backing at the next Soldier's Relief Dance." Sebastian made an uncertain face. The quality of this musical ensemble, which consisted of five members, left a bit to be desired.

"I know a guy who's a great guitar player." Kay volunteered.

"Yeah, a couple of folks were telling me about someone who used to play guitar at the Borscht Bowl. But then they told me the guitarist was that German, Klavier Gavin." Sebastian looked suspicious again. The war was serious business to him, and people who might be spies for the enemy nations were not people he was convinced he wanted to trust.

Kay sighed. _We'll keep working on your anti-German positions_ , she thought. Then she smiled and changed the subject. "So how are things at the Federal Prosecutor's office?

(-)

Sebastian is as good as his word, and he's waiting when Kay gets out of work to pick her up.

He even waits in the car while she goes in to talk to Edgeworth, though he spends the whole time wondering what's going on.

Kay looked much happier when she came out of the house and came back to the car.

"Is everything alright?" Sebastian asked solicitously.

Kay considered it. "I don't know for sure, but I feel better about it!" She said, and smiled. At least Mr. Edgeworth knew now. He had promised to stay alert to any reports about strangers in the town.

"I saw a drugstore when we drove through. Would you like to stop and get a soda?"

Kay smiled again. "Of course!"

(-)

 _Munich, Germany_

 _The morning after the bombing raid that destroyed the Gavin house_

The school that had been converted into a shelter for the victims of the latest air-raid is filled with people. The buzz of conversation and racket of children crying makes a din that Kristoph does not appreciate when he arrives.

By this time he was using his cane in earnest. It's been a long night, and a long walk, and he has yet to find a working phone to call the Communications Office and let them know that he will not be in today.

An official at the door stops him when he comes in. Kristoph doesn't dignify the man's questions with an answer, instead holding him out his identification papers.

"You showed some forethought, saving those," The official said. Kristoph even has his ration cards in there, as he had frequently gone from work to grocery shopping without going home first. Of course, these days getting good rations is hard, and prices at the Black Market continue to climb.

"Thank you." Kristoph said curtly, taking the papers back and returning them to the inner pocket of his suit jacket. He'd like to put his Ulster on so he doesn't have to carry it anymore, but the press of bodies in the building makes it too warm for that.

Kristoph finds the queue for papers for destroyed ration cards. He doesn't need those. There are other lines, for different replacement items; household goods and the like. But the lines are long, and his knee is hurting. He limped to the back of the room, where there was an empty bench, and sank down onto it, setting his valise on the floor as he did.

It's been more than twenty-four hours now since he last slept, and he's starting to feel frayed. Hs knee will not be able to handle standing for the time it's going to take to get through these lines. His patience probably won't last long enough either. For once, his ability to plan through problems before they happen has failed him. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall.

 _Thank you, RAF, for my destroying my house. Where do I go to resign from being a spy for you?_

"Herr Gavin?" A familiar voice asked, and Kristoph opened his eyes and snapped back to awareness. Sgt. Berger stood next to the bench. "What are you doing here?"

Kristoph gestured at the scene around them. "My house burned down last night."

"Where are you staying?" Berger asked.

Kristoph had to resist the urge to verbally rip the other man's head off. He took a deep breath. "I haven't gotten that far. At the moment, I can't even get in line to get anything replaced."

"Oh," Berger shifted his weight. "My apartment has two bedrooms. It's nothing spectacular, but you're welcome to it, if you like."

The blond paused. "Really?"

"Of course! I can take you there now, if you'd like. Unless you need to get some replacements…" Berger trailed off, looking around the room.

"There's no way I can stand in those lines. Not today." Kristoph said, struggling to his feet, bracing his bad leg with his cane, and picking up his coat and valise. "But I need to call in to the office and let them know that I won't be there today."

"Don't worry about that," Berger said, looking away. "The Royal Air Force blew up the building last night. I've heard that the essential personnel have been set up elsewhere. I have the new phone number. You can call in from my apartment. I mean, you can call if the phone lines still work."

(-)

The apartment is small, but it's quiet, and that alone is enough to make Kristoph like it.

The door to Berger's apartment opens into a small living room. Straight ahead is a hallway; to the right is a kitchen. Berger shows him to a small bedroom just off from the living room. It's plainly furnished, but there is a bed.

 _The farmer and the viper_ , Kristoph thinks as Berger finished explaining the layout of the place and offering to call the office for him. On the drive over, Kristoph had confessed to having gotten no sleep the night before. He had not said that it was because he had gotten advance notice of the bombing, just that he had been up.

Berger hadn't asked for more details. After showing Kristoph to the spare bedroom, he made a tactful retreat, mentioning that he would be back later that afternoon and closing the door behind him.

Kristoph went to the door and examined the lock on it. It's not complicated, and he's not sure that Berger doesn't have another key to it stashed away. But it will have to do. He turned the lock and went to change into his pajamas.

He finished changing his clothes, re-locked his tan-and-blue valise, and stashed it under the bed. He kept the key on its silver chain around his neck and crawled into bed. Outside, in the distance, thunder rumbled. It was real thunder, for a change, not the sound of guns or bombs. Rain is already pattering against the windowpanes. It might help deal with the fires that are left.

Later, he can call the office. Tomorrow, if the lines are shorter, he can see about getting aid.

 _The farmer and the viper_ , Kristoph thought again as he drifted to sleep. But in this version of the story, he was the viper.

 _I'm trying to save lives, Berger, if I can help stop the war sooner. I might even save your life.  
_

But as he drifts off to sleep, he knows that like so many other secrets, this is one he won't tell either.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** I would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that Kristoph's displacement is only sad because we know he's on the side of the Allies. Remember, the Luftwaffe did to London what the Royal Air Force is doing to Munich at this point in the timeline. Actually, at this point in the timeline it could have just as easily been American planes bombing Munich, too, but the British were the ones who really bombed civilian targets to give Germans a taste of what they'd been dishing out.

War is such messy business.

I don't have much to say about this chapter. The second part of this chapter (so, the two parts that follow after Kristoph leaves his house after it's been bombed) were almost chapter 46 (I went back and forth on that quite a bit), and then were nearly axed and put into _Fantasia_. Finally I reversed the order of the two scenes and I'm pretty happy with it. I am a bit disappointed, though; a lot of time that I would have spent working on the next chapters was chewed up trying to straighten this one out, so I am a little bit disappointed in that.

I wanted the bracelet Klavier gave Ema to have stones that matched her eyes...too bad in most of the artwork I see of her, she has brown eyes. Ace Attorney Wiki copped out and said "teal" which is great but there aren't a lot of teal colored stones that aren't glass. I'm happy that Sebastian and Kay seem to be getting their relationship straightened out. And Ema and Klavier are getting a long better, too. Yay! I'm so happy with how everyone is progressing! The chapter title is a slightly edited line from "The Second Coming." The poem says, "slouches toward Bethlehem." I've changed that to "Slouching Towards America" for reasons that I hope are clear.

If you've read Turnabout Labyrinth, we had chapter 9 which was the jumping off point for the climax. This is C.D.'s chapter 9. I'm pretty excited to be here! Next chapter kicks off the climax!

Please review!


	46. The Darkness Drops Again

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 47: The Darkness Drops Again**

 _America_

 _April, 1944_

"Achtung! You live so close to it, and you've never seen the ocean!?" Klavier asked, looking shocked.

"Well, it just never came up." Ema said. They were sitting on the front porch of Phoenix's house. Phoenix hadn't arrived home yet; he was probably still talking over the day's court events with Edgeworth. For a change, instead of Klavier walking her home, they had ended up Phoenix's house and had spent the better part of an hour talking.

"Then I know what we're going to do tomorrow." Klavier said. They both had the next day off.

"Have you seen it?" Ema shot back.

Klavier chuckled, peering at her over the rims of his sunglasses. "What do you think I had to come across to get here?"

Ema frowned at him. "True. You've been here so long, I'd forgotten that."

"Tomorrow afternoon, then. I will come to your house, and we will go from there to the ocean."

"That's a long walk. I'll pack some snacks." Ema said.

"Then it is a date." Klavier, looking pleased.

Ema got to her feet. "I need to get going, before Lana starts wondering where I am. See you tomorrow."

" _Bis bald_." Klavier called after her, then he stood up but rather than follow her home, turned back to the house. He had caught a glance of movement inside. When Klavier went to investigate, he found Apollo sitting in the living room, looking annoyed.

"I think you need to know," Apollo began, "That Trucy was listening in on your conversation with Ema and she wants to tag along tomorrow. I tried to explain what being a third wheel on a date means, but she might ask you about coming along."

Klavier chuckled. "Might I presume that she has not seen the ocean either?"

"Nope."

"Why is it that you all have lived longer then I have but you have never gone to see it?"

Apollo shrugged. "It was never important, I suppose."

"How about the two of you meet up with us tomorrow? Give Ema and myself an hour's head start, then come join us." Klavier suggested.

"That's fine by me." Apollo stood up. "I'll go head off Trucy before she comes downstairs to talk to you."

No one noticed that, earlier, as Ema was walking away, a man with dark hair and scar on his cheek emerged from a low evergreen tree near the road and started walking after her. When Ema arrived back in town, the man turned and headed in the direction of the ocean, while Ema continued on home.

(-)

"I don't understand why no one comes out here." Klavier said the next day as he and Ema walked through the woods, headed in the direction of the ocean. "The trees are beautiful."

"I guess everyone is too busy with life to ever want to come out." Ema said, looking around. "You are right, though, it is nice. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon."

They walked on in silence through sun-dappled trees, with only the sound of birds calling each other to break the silence. Suddenly Ema came to a stop.

"What is it?" Klavier asked.

"I forgot the picnic basket. I left it by the road when Gumshoe dropped us off." Ema told him. Detective Gumshoe had offered to give them a ride to the park when he had seen them in town earlier that afternoon, and the pair had accepted the offer.

"I'll go back and see if I can find it." Klavier volunteered. "Wait here."

Ema nodded. "I'm not moving off until you got back. So hurry up and get the basket, Fop!"

"Of course, _Liebchen_." He said, taking her hand and kissing it.

Flustered, Ema said, "Go!"

Klavier turned and started heading back the way they had come. Ema stood and looked at the trees, and sunlight on the grass, and then at a bird that landed on the side of a tree. Ema stepped slowly towards it. It looked like a woodpecker, but she couldn't be sure, from as far away as she was standing. She made a mental note about which tree she had been by when Klavier had left, so that she could get back to it.

Not that it mattered, though, not really. She wasn't even going to leave the clearing so she would still be able to see Klavier when he came back.

Then she came around the tree. The woodpecker flew away, up to a high branch on the other side of the clearing. Ema turned back around to see it, and found herself face to face with a man in a uniform. She had seen enough newsreels to recognize that uniform, and the emblem of an eagle over a wreath with a swastika in the middle.

A German soldier.

In an instant, the world shrunk, and all she could see was the German in front of her, and she knew she had to get away, right now.

But then there's another soldier, and third in a slightly different uniform with a scar on one cheek. The third soldier pulls a rag out, and the first soldier grabbed her and shoved her towards it.

She caught one whiff of the sickeningly sweet smell on it, and it made the world around her start to spin. Ema collapsed. She wasn't unconscious, but she kept her eyes shut; opening them made her see everything around her as though it was moving, and made her want to be ill.

The three soldiers were standing over her, talking, but she couldn't understand what they're saying. She heard a few words that she had heard Klavier use before, and then she heard them say Klavier's name.

What do they want with him? She wondered absently.

But then the three are gone, and she didn't know where they went. All she knew was that the world wouldn't stop spinning. She closed her eyes.

Klavier came back into the clearing a moment later, carrying the picnic basket. He saw Ema, and dropped the basket. "Achtung! Ema!" He ran over to her and rolled her onto her back. "Ema! What's wrong?"

Ema's eyes fluttered open, and she found herself looking into Klavier's. "Ema!" He repeated urgently.

"Klavier…" She whispered. Behind him she could see that the three soldiers had reappeared and were drawing closer to them. Klavier was distracted, and hadn't noticed.

"Tell me what's wrong." Klavier ordered.

"Behind you…" She whispered.

Klavier turned to look just as the first soldier wrapped his arms tightly around Klavier's shoulders and dragged the blond up and away from her.

"Nein!" Klavier spat, struggling to get free, and it was all the soldier could do to keep a grip on him. The second soldier approached and tried to help the first one keep a hold of Klavier, but the blond drew his knees up to his chest and kicked the second soldier away.

The dark-haired man with the scar on his face approached again, pulling out the same white rag from before, but now, since there's nothing Ema can do except watch, she sees that the rag comes from a small jar.

The man with the scarred face tried to get the rag close to Klavier's face, but Klavier, still trying to get free from the first soldier's grip, kicked the scarred man away as well, even though the man tried to approach him from the side.

The scarred man stumbled back, and Klavier slipped free at the same time, landing in a crouch on the ground. The scarred man reacted immediately, lunging forward and wrapping one arm around Klavier's chest and pressing the cloth to Klavier's mouth. The blond elbowed the scarred man as hard as he could, but the man held on in spite of Klavier's renewed struggles.

Finally Klavier went limp. The scarred man dropped him to the ground and jumped to his feet, waving the two other soldiers over. " _Hol ihn ab. Schnell, schnell_!"

One of the soldiers picked Klavier up and slings him over his shoulders. The two soldiers then vanished off into the woods. The scarred man approached Ema, knelt down, and held the white cloth close to her again.

Then everything went black.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** So... let's talk about what's happening in this chapter.

The white cloth, in case you don't read a lot of detective novels, is soaked in chloroform. Problem is that chloroform is not a great way to drug someone. It's very dangerous, first, and you can kill someone with it if you aren't using extreme care, and sometimes even when you do use extreme care people still die from it. Second, it doesn't work very well. It worked on Ema, and immediate exposure to it can make someone dizzy, but it doesn't work well if you can't make the person you're trying to use it on breathe it in, hence the reason that it takes three Nazis and a scuffle plus the chloroform to take out Klavier. He has more body mass then Ema does, so he'll be affected differently than she will, and the Nazis half-drugged Ema and left her lying there, so they sort of blew up the element of surprise. Klavier came back and knew something was wrong. Then the Nazis had to get close enough with the chloroform to get him to breathe enough to make him pass out.

I was thinking about this chapter and I thought, if Mander had sent Berger to do the job, he would have drugged Ema first and hid her, thereby retaining the element of surprise to spring his trap on Klavier. Berger does tend to try and look for obvious problems that need to be dealt with. Of course, if Mander had told Berger to go to America and bring Klavier back, Berger would have run right off after their meeting and told Kristoph all about it, shortening Mander's plan and the story. There's a reason Mander stopped telling Berger what he was doing.

Bis bald = See you later.

Hol ihn ab. Schnell, schnell! = Pick him up. Hurry, hurry!

Chloroform doesn't knock a person out for long, either, hence the need for the Nazis to hurry.

Chapter title is from "The Second Coming" again. It has …quite the double meaning in context. I didn't plan on that, but I think it works.

Please review.


	47. All About it Wind Shadows

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 47: All About It Wind Shadows**

The first thing that Klavier is aware of, once awareness starts to come back, is that his head aches in a way he's never felt before. The next thing he's aware of is that his hands are behind him, and he can't move them.

"Schmidt, do you still have that flask of schnapps that you're so fond of carrying with you?" A cultured voice asked in a conversational tone.

"Yes." There's the sound of cloth rustling, and then a sharp smell overwhelms him. Klavier tried to pull away, but then someone grabs his chin, tilts his head up, and forces a liquid into his mouth. It's liquor, and Klavier suddenly comes completely awake, swallowing hard and coughing; trying not to choke on it.

His head doesn't feel any better when the coughing abates, but he's more awake then he was before. He sees the Nazi with the scar standing in front of him. Klavier is sitting with his back to a tree. His hands are restrained behind him in such a way that his arms are around the tree.

The Nazi gives Klavier an appraising look. "The Lieutenant was right. The resemblance between you and your older brother is uncanny."

"I don't think we've been introduced." Klavier replied.

The man gave him an unkind smile. "You're quite correct. How rude of me. I am Captain Leitz. Some of us in Munich are arranging a little surprise for your brother Kristoph, and one of my superiors thought it would be rude of us to go through with that without you being present."

"I hope I didn't put you to too much trouble," Klavier said. "You could have sent a letter in lieu of arranging a visit."

"A visit is much more personable then a letter." Leitz replied. "It shows good intentions on our part."

This is worrisome, Klavier thought, but it was a distant thought and he's having trouble keeping his thoughts straight.

"We'll be leaving when the U-boat comes ashore in a few hours." Leitz said, stepping forward and tilting Klavier's head back up. "I can't believe that Lieutenant Mander let you ever leave the country. He should have drafted you long ago and made sure you were wearing a Nazi uniform." He ran his fingers through Klavier's hair. "Sending you to war would have been a waste in propaganda value alone. You should have been in Berlin, standing next to the Fuhrer during his speeches." He released his hold on Klavier and turned away.

"That would have been a bit of a problem, since Herr Hitler and I did not agree on many things." Klavier said.

Leitz smiled, then turned around and suddenly punched Klavier in the stomach as hard as he could. The blond doubled over as much as his bonds would allow, gasping for breath.

"Your opinions will get you nowhere." Leitz said. "You'll learn to agree. One way or another."

(-)

"Ema…

"Ema…

"Ema, wake up."

Ema moaned, and opened her eyes. She could see the blurry figures of Apollo and Trucy over her. She was still where she had fallen in the clearing.

"Apollo? Trucy? What are you doing here?"

"I made arrangements with Klavier to meet the two of you." Apollo said.

"Where is Klavier?" Trucy asked.

Ema suddenly sat up, and then clutched at her head which was spinning. "There were soldiers…German soldiers."

"In America?" Apollo asked incredulously. "Ema, if we had been invaded by Germany I think I would have heard about it by now."

"There were three of them, three soldiers." Ema said. "They came out of nowhere, and they took Klavier away."

Apollo glanced down at his bracelet, but he wasn't feeling anything. He knew she wasn't lying. "I take it he didn't go willingly?"

"No. There was a struggle." Ema told them.

Trucy turned to give her brother a look of urgency. "We have to get Klavier back!"

Apollo pressed a hand to his forehead. "Do you know where they went, Ema?"

"No. I didn't see where they went." Ema said miserably.

"Okay." Apollo said. They were going to need help; he knew it. "Trucy, you're going back."

"What!? But I want to help!" Trucy protested.

"You can help, by going back and telling Phoenix what's happened. Tell him…tell him…" Apollo trailed off. What could he say? How could he send this message so that he would be believed? He twisted his bracelet, and after a moment, pulled it off his wrist. "Take this to Phoenix. He'll know what to do."

Trucy took the bracelet reverently. She had never, in her life, seen Apollo without it. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." Apollo told him. "You'd better go, Trucy, and hurry. Ema, you can go back with her."

"No." Ema said, getting to her feet. She ended up on the ground a moment later. "I'm coming with you!"

"Ema you can't even stay on your feet. Maybe you should let me handle this alone." Apollo suggested.

"That's not safe!" Ema retorted.

"It's not going to be safe for you either! And unlike you I can stand up without falling over." Apollo pointed out.

Ema tried to get back to her feet, and this time was able to stay on them. "I am going with you."

It was going to cost less time if he just took Ema with him. Apollo sighed. "Go find Phoenix, Trucy. Hurry!"

Trucy nodded and took off running back through the woods. Apollo turned to Ema. "Let's go see if we can find Klavier. There's been no reports of any strangers in town, and this town would notice if some more Germans showed up. They have to be around here somewhere."

He set off, Ema, following him, until they came almost to the shoreline. Then they started to follow it.

Ema was trying to make sure that she stayed with Apollo, so she was surprised when he suddenly put a hand on her arm and pulled her away, behind a tree. "Wha-" She started to say, but Apollo clapped a hand over her mouth. With his other hand, he pointed. Ema followed the direction he was pointing, and looked through the trees. She saw the two soldiers from before, and the man with the scarred face. Klavier was sitting on the ground, his back to a tree.

Ema moved Apollo's hand from her mouth. "Those are the three soldiers I saw earlier." She whispered.

"What do they want with Klavier?" Apollo asked.

"I don't know." Ema said.

"Well…it can't be anything good." Apollo paused, thinking it over.

"What do we do?" Ema asked.

"I have an idea." Apollo said.

(-)

Klavier had no idea how much time had passed. His head was still aching. He was trying to distract himself from that by trying to free his hands. He had managed to loosen his bindings slightly; he could tell from the way his fingers were throbbing as blood flow returned to them.

A sudden splash made the three Nazis suddenly turn to look at the sea.

"Is it the u-boat?" Schmidt asked.

"No, too early for that," The other replied, looking at his watch. "Perhaps a fish jumped.'

"It makes too much noise to be a fish." Leitz said. He glanced at the soldiers. "Go see what it was."

"Yes, sir!"The soldiers saluted and hurried away.

Leitz smiled at Klavier. "It's just the two of us for the moment." He said, walking around the tree and tightening the ropes around Klavier's wrists. The blond winced. "I hope you're comfortable."

"Never better." Klavier replied flatly.

"Glad to hear it. I must go supervise my comrades." Leitz's grin was tilted towards manic. "Don't go anywhere now."

Klavier didn't answer, instead tilting his head back against the trunk of the tree and closing his eyes. Leitz moved off and was half out of sight.

"Klavier," A familiar voice whispered.

"Ema?" Klavier replied softly, suddenly alarmed. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to help." Ema had sidled up to the tree and was trying to figure out how to untie him. The ropes were tied tighter then she expected, and she was having trouble getting a grip on the knot to start untying it.

"You need to leave. Right now." Klavier told her.

"I will, as soon as I get you untied."

"You need to leave me here and go." Klavier told her. "Before you get caught too!"

"It's okay. Apollo is distracting them." Ema said. She had managed to finally get a grip on the edge of the rope and was trying to undo the knot.

"Two of them." Klavier pointed out flatly. "The third is still here."

"He is indeed." Leitz suddenly reappeared, half-behind the tree next to Ema. Ema looked up, looking shocked. Leitz grabbed her by the wrist, pulled her up and threw her into the clearing. Ema hit the ground near Klavier's feet and got to her knees.

Leitz gave her an appraising look. "I remember you from earlier. Come to get your boyfriend back, did you?" He asked, glancing at Klavier. The blond was looking at the ground, his bangs hiding his eyes.

Leitz grabbed Ema again and threw her down, this time so that he could tie her hands behind her back. Then he dragged her out of the way and sat her down near another tree. "Now, miss, let me tell you how this is going to work. You move, I shoot you. Understand?"

"I understand." Ema said flatly.

The Captain looked pleased. "Good." He tied Ema to the tree, wrapping another rope around her and the tree trunk. "I will have to decide what to do with you. I don't think we want another mouth to feed back in Munich."

"Then maybe you should leave us both here." Klavier told him.

"That would never do." Leitz said, turning back to the blond. "We may be having a party for your brother, but _you_ are the guest of honor." He moved off, closer to the beach.

Ema gave Klavier a worried look. "What did your brother do to make the Nazis angry?"

Klavier frowned. When it came to Kristoph, there were many, many possibilities there. "That, Ema is a very good question."

(-)

The worst part of this plan, Apollo decided was that he had no idea how well it was working. He needed to make enough noise to distract the Nazis so Ema could get close, but there weren't many good ways to that.

He had settled for finding the largest rocks he could and throwing them into the water at intervals. _I hope you've found Phoenix, Trucy, because we are having some real problems here._

He had expected that in between throwing rocks, he would be able to hear the Nazis coming, so it was a surprise when the first announcement he had that they were there was the sound of a gun being cocked behind him. Apollo paused, a good sized rock still in his hands.

" _Hands up_!" One of them ordered.

"I don't speak German." Apollo said, turning around very slowly. Then he suddenly threw the rock at the Nazi with the gun and took off running.

He didn't make it very far before he was caught.

(-)

Ema was trying to worm herself free from her bonds when the two soldiers returned and threw Apollo to the ground.

"And who is this?" Leitz asked.

"We found him throwing rocks in the water." Schmidt reported.

"Oh, really?" Leitz asked. He looked at Apollo. "And what are you doing here?"

"I like the seaside. The fresh air is so nice out here." Apollo said. "That's why I was skipping rocks."

"What are you really doing here?" Leitz asked.

"I told you, I was taking a walk. I like the seaside and the fresh air is nice." Apollo insisted.

Leitz smiled. Then he unholstered his gun. "I don't need a spy. And you're a rotten liar." He aimed his gun at Apollo. Ema gasped.

"We made arrangements to meet this afternoon." Klavier spoke up.

The man paused. "You expect me to believe that?"

"I told you the truth. What you believe or don't believe is up to you." Klavier replied. "Perhaps your suspicious mind is getting carried away with you. Maybe you have spent too long in the Reich, looking for Jews behind every shrub."

Leitz turned carefully, and then with a sudden violent motion, pistol-whipped Klavier. The sound of the gun as it impacted against Klavier's head made Ema and Apollo wince. The blond's head lolled to the side.

Leitz slid his gun back into its holster. "Tie him up." Leitz ordered, turning away. The Nazis started to tie Apollo to the tree Ema was sitting against.

Apollo took in the situation. Ema was already tied up, Klavier was restrained and now unconscious.

 _Oh, Trucy, I hope you've found Phoenix._

* * *

 **[A/N:]** Let's talk about (fan)fiction diverts from reality.

Pistol-whipping someone is a _super dangerous_ thing to do. You can fracture someone's skull or kill them by doing that. Depending on where you live in America, in the present day, I would expect to see a pistol-whipping case get a charge of assault at the very least, though depending on the prosecutor it wouldn't surprise me if some of them pressed for attempted murder. Or murder, depending on what condition the victim is in. Which is a very long way of saying do not try this at home! You can also damage the gun, too, but that's kind of a secondary concern.

This is the third chapter that I wanted to write when I began this story. Leitz's remark about propaganda value refers to the fact that even though Nazis really, really liked the idea of having a blond-haired, blue-eyed super race, they didn't have a lot of members that actually fit this description. Reinhard Heydrich was the person who fit the description of what the Nazis were looking for the best. Heydrich was also one of the main architects behind Germany's Final Solution. Two Czechoslovak soldiers along with the Resistance in Prague killed him indirectly; he died of infection of his wounds following the attack which took place a year after America entered the war. The Nazis took this poorly, and the retribution in Czechoslovakia was brutal...but I'm not sure it was more brutal than anything else Germany did during the war.

Why would Lietz think that Klavier is a better fit for the position of propaganda poster boy, since he and Kristoph look almost identical and Kristoph is still in Germany? Kristoph has two strikes against him: he wears glasses, and he has a limp. I don't think that either of these would have caused him trouble in Nazi Germany. In fact, part of the background setting for Chapter 5 of the C.D. sidestory collection _Play a Fantasia_ is the idea that the Nazis would have used the ordinance explosion that made Kristoph a cripple as a propaganda tool about how even in peace time, Germans weren't safe from the aggression of the rest of the world (or some such nonsense like that.) Also, I've found no evidence that needing glasses would have been a mark against him either (compare and contrast Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge, where needing glasses would have been a mark against him. At least I believe it's the Khmer Rouge; I can't remember if I read about that in " _When Broken Glass Floats_ " or not. I do recall it was information from one of the Asian Communist countries.) While this wouldn't affect Kristoph in his day-to-day life in Nazi Germany, there's a better choice for propaganda purposes, which is why Leitz makes the remark that he does.

Chapter title is from the Second Coming, again. Let's see, what else? I think that's everything.

Please review!


	48. Vexed to Nightmare

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 48: Vexed to Nightmare**

Trucy burst in through the door of the Wright Law Office, breathing hard. Phoenix, Edgeworth, and Kay were sitting on the couch in the outer office.

"Trucy!" Phoenix said, looking alarmed. "What's wrong?!"

Trucy was gasping for breath. She held out Apollo's bracelet.

Now Phoenix looked more alarmed. "What happened?"

"We were going to meet with Klavier and Ema out by the ocean. But Ema said that there were Nazi soldiers who came and took Klavier away." Trucy explained, holding her side. She had gotten a stitch from running as hard as she had.

Now she had everyone's attention. Phoenix was on his feet. Edgeworth's teacup clattered back to the table. Kay looked alarmed.

"Trucy, what else can you tell us?" Edgeworth asked.

"I don't know anything else." Trucy said, still holding her side. "Ema said there were three soldiers."

"But you don't know where they went?" Edgeworth asked.

"No."

"We have to go find them." Phoenix said. Edgeworth had gotten up and gone to pick up the phone.

"We will." Edgeworth told him. "But we can't rush into this blind."

"Does this have something to do with the man I saw the other day?" Kay asked.

"I don't know. But I think we're going to find out." Edgeworth said. Then he was ignoring them and talking into the phone. At the same time, he took a sheet of paper from the desk and began to write on it. "Detective Gumshoe. I want you to get seven or eight policemen and meet me at the sign for the Cornill Woodland Park. Make sure all the men you bring with you are armed. Yes…yes, there might be trouble. Wright and I will meet you there. This is of the utmost importance, detective, so hurry." He hung up the phone. "Kay, I've written down the number for Federal Prosecutor Simon Blackquill. I need you to call him and tell him what's going on."

Kay nodded.

"What about me?" Trucy asked.

"You need to stay here with Kay." Phoenix told her.

"But Daddy...!"

"No, Trucy! This is extremely dangerous."

"He's right." Edgeworth added, coming out from behind the desk. "I know you want to help but you've got to stay here with Kay."

Trucy looked disappointed.

"Cheer up Trucy!" Kay said firmly. "We have to call Prosecutor Blackquill! And that's pretty important too!"

Trucy nodded.

Phoenix and Edgeworth looked at each other. "Let's go, Wright." Edgeworth said.

Phoenix gave one brief nod, and both men headed for the door.

(-)

Apollo and Ema were both tied to a tree, with ropes that wrapped around their chests and then around the tree. Apollo was trying to think of a way out of the new predicament they were in. Nothing was coming to mind, and that was a worrying thought.

He was also starting to worry about the fact that Klavier had not stirred since he had been struck in the head by the officer. From where he and Ema were tied up, almost across from the blond, he had been keeping watch on Klavier as best as he could. What he had not seen – movement – had worried him.

 _I hope Trucy's back with Phoenix and telling him what's happened._ Apollo thought. Then he straightened up. Klavier had stirred. Just slightly, but it was still movement.

"Klavier!" He hissed. "Klavier!" The German stirred again but still wasn't completely awake. "Klavier!"

This time the blond's eyes fluttered open. He straightened up in his bonds as best as he could. "Herr Forehead?" He asked quietly.

"Welcome back. You had us pretty worried." Apollo said, casting a glance at the two Nazis standing guard. Both were standing still, keeping a grip on their guns, and keeping a disinterested eye on the prisoners.

Klavier let his head hang forward again.

"Don't go to sleep!" Apollo said urgently.

" _I'm tired_." Klavier muttered.

Apollo looked at Ema, who shook her head. "Okay, that's fine," Apollo said. "Just keep talking."

"You've got to stay awake, Klavier." Ema added.

"Alright." Klavier replied. But he sounded like; he was starting to drift again.

Apollo glanced at the guards. "Hey Klavier, how do I say 'I hope America wins the war' in German?"

His question had the desired effect: reaction. Klavier chuckled. The guards didn't look nearly as amused.

"According to Larry's most recent article, it sounds like the war is going well for us." Ema added cheerfully.

Klavier seemed to rally himself. "I hope America will be generous when the war is over. Forgiving, too."

"I think I read that the President said that we weren't going to be cruel if we won. We're not looking for an empire." Apollo said.

The first guard said something to Apollo.

"How do I tell this guy I don't speak German?" Apollo asked.

" _He does not speak German_." Klavier told the guard.

" _Then you tell him to shut his animalistic gob if he doesn't want to get shot!"_ The guard snapped.

"He wants you to stop talking." Klavier translated.

"I'm tied up, I can't do anything else." Apollo noted.

Leitz reappeared a moment later. " _Don't be rude to our guests_." He ordered. Then he looked at Apollo. "What were you saying?"

"Just relaying the good news that America's doing great in war. Maybe even better than Germany."

Leitz gave him a cool smile. "The war isn't over yet." Then he turned and started giving orders. _"The U-boat will be here in a few minutes. Get our guest ready to leave."_

" _What do you want us to do with the two meddlers?"_ Schmidt asked.

" _Leave them. I don't care what happens to them. We need only Gavin_." He said, giving Klavier an appraising look. Then he turned to the soldiers. "Get him ready to go."

Schmidt saluted and went to cut Klavier's hands free from their bonds.

(-)

The first problem Edgeworth and Phoenix had was, where had the attack on Ema and Klavier taken place?

That was pinpointed to some degree by the discovery of the basket of food that Klavier had dropped. When the attorneys arrived, the food that had spilled out of it was being enjoyed by a flock of sparrows, which retreated to the trees and chirruped angrily at Edgeworth, Phoenix, and the entourage they'd brought with them for interrupting their fun.

"This area near the water is pretty large, Pal," Detective Gumshoe said. "We might be searching here for a long time."

"Are we sure that they came in by ship?" Phoenix asked.

"Well, there were no German soldiers parachuting in." Edgeworth said. "We would have heard about that by now."

"Yeah, even Prosecutor Debeste would have noticed that." Phoenix replied.

Edgeworth snorted. "Let's get closer to the water. If they came, it must have been by U-boat. Maybe we can head them off."

Phoenix put a hand to his chin. "They might hole up somewhere, wait for the heat to die down." He suggested.

"Not in this town they won't, Pal." Gumshoe told him. "Look at the way this place keeps an eye on Klavier, and he's been here so long he's practically an American."

 _Practically an American?_ "That depends on how you describe 'American.'" Phoenix said, thinking about the schnitzel they had had for dinner last night.

"Nevertheless," Edgeworth said, "We need to get moving." He turned to the police. "Four of you follow the shoreline. The rest of you stay with Wright and I." He looked at Phoenix. "Let's go back towards the road and head the same direction as the other police officers. Hopefully we can cover more of the land that way.

"What about that way?" Phoenix asked, pointing down the beach.

"That way runs into private property, Pal!" Gumshoe told him.

"So we can reasonably think that if there had been a problem we would have heard about it." Edgeworth finished.

Phoenix nodded, and the group split up.

There wasn't a moment to lose.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** Klavier is engaged in diplomatic translation here. Obviously.

With no present medical help, and no way of knowing how seriously Klavier was hurt, Apollo and Ema trying to keep him awake and talking is probably the best plan at this point. But I am not a doctor, and as I said, the trio has no medical help at this point, so Ema and Apollo are doing the best they can.

Chapter title comes from The Second Coming.

I think that's it for this round. Of course, if you have questions, as always, let me know.

Please review!


	49. With Luck and Sunshine

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 49: With Luck and Sunshine**

The two soldiers pulled Klavier to his feet and tied his hands behind his back. A shape that was almost like that of a whale rose on the horizon where the sky met the water.

"Our ride is here," Leitz said, taking Klavier by his bound hands and starting to steer him towards the water. The two soldiers followed behind at a short distance.

Ema and Apollo looked appalled. Apollo renewed his struggles to get free, but they were fruitless.

"Hold it right there, Pal!"

Ema recognized the voice immediately. "Gumshoe!" She shrieked. "Gumshoe! Look out!"

Four police detectives and Gumshoe burst out of the woods, followed by Phoenix. The detectives had their guns drawn and took the two soldiers by surprise.

Leitz was a little faster on the uptake then his men, and he was closer to the water. He had turned around and seen what had happened, and in a flash had gotten out his pistol and pressed it to Klavier's side. "I must hand it to you Americans, you are clever. I did not expect you to figure out we were here." He said, as Edgeworth appeared with the rest of the detectives.

"Don't try anything." Edgeworth warned him.

"You're going to let us leave." Leitz said. He hadn't stopped moving and was in the water, but now he was walking backwards into it, with Klavier in front of him. Edgeworth looked at the detectives around him and motioned for them to lower their guns. There was no way they could take a shot at Leitz without shooting Klavier. Gumshoe was the only one who kept his weapon at the ready.

"What are you going to do, swim out to the sub?" Phoenix asked, glancing at Apollo and Ema, and then at Edgeworth.

"I'll think of something." Leitz replied, pausing. He needed the U-boat to get closer.

But Klavier thought of something a little faster, and slid one foot back behind him until he was positioned so that Leitz would trip over his foot if he took another step back.

"We'll let you go back to the U-boat." Edgeworth said, and he had Phoenix and Gumshoe's attention immediately. "But Herr Gavin stays here."

"Herr Gavin is coming with me." Leitz said, pressing his gun harder into Klavier's side. "And if you don't try and follow me, maybe I won't shoot him."

"Think this through." Phoenix interjected. "How do you even expect to get back to the U-boat?"

"That is none of your business, American." Leitz replied. He took another step backwards and stumbled over Klavier's foot. His grip on Klavier loosened, and the blond fell forward, landing on his knees, his head bent towards the shallow water.

Once he was out of the way, Gumshoe and another detective rushed forward. "Drop your weapon!" The second detective shouted. Leitz aimed his gun at the other men.

Two gunshots rang out, but Gumshoe and the other detective kept going forward, while Leitz stumbled back into the water. Gumshoe pulled Klavier to his feet and helped him up the bank.

Phoenix looked relieved, and turned to Apollo and Ema. He started looking for a way to untie them. The other two soldiers had been handcuffed by a couple of the detectives. Gumshoe was using his pocket knife to cut through the ropes around Klavier's wrists.

Apollo looked relieved and exhausted all at once. "I was hoping Trucy had found you." He told Phoenix.

"She did." Phoenix replied. He managed to get the first layer of ropes untied, but that only freed Apollo. Ema had been tied twice since she had been tied up first.

She wasn't paying attention to that; instead, she was watching Klavier as he came slowly over the rising ground towards them. Apollo was struggling to get back to his feet but he was the first to notice that something was wrong. "Uh…Klavier, when the guard hit you…" He trailed off, ignoring Phoenix's overlapping question of, "Wait, the guard hit you?"

Klavier looked confused, and Apollo said. "You're bleeding."

" _Ach_." The German said slowly, and put a hand to the side of his head. Now they could all see that the left side of his face and part of his hair was liberally bloodstained. His fingers came away from his head covered in blood. He looked at his fingers dumbly. " _Ach so_."

Phoenix was starting to look alarmed. He had noticed that Klavier's face was white when he came up the hill, and was still white now. "Klavier, sit down."

The blond looked confused by the statement. A moment later his eyes closed and he slumped to the ground.

Edgeworth had seen what had happened. He moved quickly and caught Klavier before he could hit the ground. Edgeworth landed on his knees, trying to keep the blond's head from moving as he did. "What happened to him?" The prosecutor demanded.

"He was hit on the head by that Nazi." Apollo said as he got to his feet. Phoenix had finally managed to get Ema untied with Gumshoe's help. Edgeworth laid Klavier down on the ground, on his side so that his open wound wouldn't touch the ground. Then he took his suit coat off and covered Klavier with it.

"Gumshoe!" Edgeworth said, getting to his feet and heading towards where the detectives were guarding their prisoners. "Get on the radio and get some medical help out here. And what happened to the third Nazi?"

"He's being dealt with right now, sir!" Gumshoe said. "I'll get some medics out here right away!"

Ema had been helped to her feet by Phoenix. She went over to where Klavier was lying and knelt next to him. She took his hand as he began to stir.

Blue eyes fluttered open, and met Ema's tear filled ones. When she saw he was awake, her tears started to spill over and trail down her face. " _Liebchen_ ," Klavier said softly, reaching his hand out to wipe her tears away, "why are you crying?"

"You're hurt."

Edgeworth reappeared a moment later and knelt on Klavier's other side. " _Lay still. You are hurt but we are getting help."_ He said in German.

" _That is good_." Klavier replied. He sounded like he wasn't completely aware of what was happening around him.

Three of the detectives were holding the three Nazis at gunpoint. Phoenix and Apollo were watching as out at sea, the U-boat sank away beneath the waves.

"That was a bit close for comfort," Phoenix said.

"No kidding." Apollo replied.

Phoenix reached into the pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out Apollo's bracelet, which he handed to the younger man. "This is yours."

Apollo took it and put it back on, looking relieved as he did. "I was really afraid Trucy wasn't going to find you. "

"After seeing all of this, I'm started to understand that," Phoenix said. He looked a bit nervous, and turned back to look at Edgeworth and the others. "Let's go. We're not finished."

(-)

There isn't a hospital in the town where Apollo and the others live. There is a medical clinic, but the hospital is in Pine Ridge.

So it's the medical clinic that Klavier is taken too.

Gumshoe and the detectives depart to lodge their prisoners in the jail. Gumshoe is warned by Edgeworth that he should expect Simon Blackquill to arrive to handle the situation as far as the Nazis are concerned.

Edgeworth, along with Phoenix, Apollo, and Ema, accompany Klavier to the clinic. No one misses their entrance, since Klavier, who has been in and out of consciousness during the trip back, is immediately taken to have his injuries treated.

Lana, Trucy, and Kay are in the waiting room. Apart from that, there are only a couple of people waiting to be seen in the room.

Trucy spied Apollo as soon as he walked in. She ran over to him, and threw her arms around him. "Polly! I was really worried." She said. Then she paused and looked down the hallway where Klavier had been taken. "Is Klavier going to be okay?"

Phoenix and Apollo looked at each other. "We hope so, Trucy."

Ema, meanwhile, had gone over to her sister.

"Ema, are you alright?" Lana asked, worry obvious in her voice.

Ema's lower lip trembled, and she burst into tears. Her sister pulled her closer and Kay hovered nearby, trying to comfort her as best as they could.

Edgeworth reappeared a moment later. He glanced at Lana and Ema for a moment, then went over to Phoenix and his family.

"Everything is okay?" Phoenix asked carefully. He wasn't extremely anxious to have a bad report given in front of Trucy.

"Hopefully. The doctor is optimistic, but he needs to know what happened and so do I," Edgeworth said. He turned to Apollo. "How did Klavier get that head injury? I thought I heard you say something about it while we were out there, but I didn't catch everything that was said."

"That Nazi soldier, the leader, used his gun to hit Klavier in the head." Apollo said. "He was pretty forceful about it too."

Edgeworth nodded. "I'll tell the doctor that. When I come back, I'll need the full story of everything that happened from you. So will Blackquill, later on." He glanced at Ema, who was still crying. Then he looked at Phoenix.

"We'll take it one step at a time."

* * *

 **[A/N:]** Title for this chapter comes from a German wartime song (WWI, though) _Es war ein Edelweiss_ (It was an Edelweiss). The line I used was too good to pass up.

Head wounds bleed. A lot. About the time I was working on this chapter, someone at my workplace had gotten a head injury that probably required stitches. He refused to get them, and I was informed the wound bled for a very long time. So, Klavier has a head wound, cannot apply pressure to it or do anything about it since he's been tied up, which is why he actually looks worse off then he is. Probably. What Edgeworth did as far as cover up Klavier and try and keep him calm and still is what you're supposed to do for someone who's been hurt while you wait for help to arrive, as far as I understand the process.

Ach so = Oh right. (To be fair, he's starting into shock at this point, which is why his reaction to this discovery is pretty flat.)

Other than that I don't have a lot to say. Please review.


	50. Certain Demolitions

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 50: Certain Demolitions**

The private room in the clinic is clean and quiet, and though it's small, Phoenix is relieved to be in it and not in the waiting room anymore. Especially since Larry had shown up, demanding the exclusive scoop for the newspaper.

Hopefully, when Edgeworth was done interviewing Apollo and Ema, he would deal with Larry, and then Phoenix wouldn't have to.

He and Trucy are sitting in the private room. On the bed in between them, Klavier is unconscious. He looks better since the medical staff has stitched up his wound and cleaned the blood from his face. The stitches are hidden under Klavier's bangs on the right side of his head. The doctor has informed them that Klavier's skull was not fractured, but Klavier is no longer drifting back and forth between unconsciousness and consciousness as he had been earlier.

Phoenix had Klavier's purple leather jacket on the back of his chair. He'd cleaned the blood off it the best he could. Klavier's necklace, also cleaned up, is in one of the jacket pockets. There was no way to know if his black shirt was bloodstained, but Phoenix suspected it was, though the blood wouldn't show.

On the other side of the bed, Trucy was sitting in her chair, holding one of Klavier's hands. She rubbed her finger over the engraving on the signet ring he wore. His other hand was resting on his stomach, just above where the deep purple bruising that was hidden under his shirt started. Klavier's wrists were bandaged as well; he had friction burns from his efforts to get free from the ropes that had bound him.

Trucy doesn't ask when Klavier will wake up, because they both know there's nothing that can be done, except to wait.

(-)

Klavier opened his eyes. Awareness came back slowly, but then he realized he was in his bed, at Phoenix's house.

He isn't sure what's happened.

Someone was sitting on his trunk near the window. He turned and saw it was Kristoph, who was reading _Les Miserables_.

The scene doesn't make sense and Klavier has to think it through twice.

Since when has he been this slow?

"Welcome back." Kristoph said without looking up from his book.

"You can't be here," Klavier said. "You didn't come to America."

"That is quite correct." Kristoph replied, unconcerned. Carefully manicured hands slid a slip of paper into the book, and then he closed it and set it on his lap and looked at Klavier. "I'm not here. You're dreaming."

Klavier looked disappointed at that bit of information. Then he asked, "What did you do to make the Nazis hate you?"

"Did not follow the party line, failed to salute Hitler at the right time, read banned books, secretly worked for the resistance." Kristoph suggested glibly. "Lots of things, all of which you're too young to know about."

"Even in my dreams you're not nice to me." Klavier said, letting his shoulders slump.

Kristoph stood up. He tucked _Les Miserables_ under his left arm, and then reached out with his right hand and pressed on Klavier's back until his younger brother straightened up. "Mother and I both told you about slouching." He said.

"Why did you send me away?"

"Oh, Klavier, haven't we had this discussion before? Are you really going to go back there again? You know why I sent you away."

"Yes, you wanted to keep me safe. And then Nazis came to America to find _me_ because they were mad at _you_!" He hasn't really thought about it until now. Until now, he's been thinking about to get out of the mess he was in, and then how to get Ema and Apollo out of the mess they were in. But now he's upset. "You never told me anything! Did you ever think that I should have some say about what happened in my life? That just maybe I was capable of making my own decisions without your input? Or that my opinion on things that were going to affect me had some merit to them?!"

"Maybe I acted the way I did to keep something like this from happening," Kristoph said.

"That worked out well, didn't it?" Klavier asked bitterly. "I loved you, Kristoph. But now I wonder if you ever loved me. We were – we are family. Was that ever enough for you? Or was I just a burden to you this whole time? Or some pawn you could manipulate?"

Kristoph pushed his glasses up on his nose. "What do you think?"

"Why didn't you come with me?" Klavier asked. "Why did you make me come here alone?"

"Because we both knew you could handle it. That you didn't _want_ to handle being alone in a new country is a completely different matter then whether or not you _could_ handle being by yourself in a different country."

Klavier felt his eyes fill with tears. _Why am I acting this way? What is wrong with me?_

His head hurts, too.

"Do you know what it was like, to hear the reports that Munich was getting bombed?" So many times the reports had come. He had started to think that his hometown was the most hated city in Germany, right behind Berlin. "And to wonder, every time after it happened, if you were still alive? Because I was safe from war and you were in the middle of it? Your letters never came fast enough. You didn't have to stay there. And sometimes I think I hate you for that, for staying when you didn't have to." He doesn't know what to say to make Kristoph understand him.

And then two tears escape against his will and start trailing down his cheeks.

Why does his head hurt so much?

(-)

Trucy was trying to be patient while holding her vigil, but it's been awhile now and she has begun wishing she knew a magic trick that would make someone wake up. She was still holding Klavier's hand, because she thought that maybe he could tell that someone is holding his hand and waiting for him to wake up.

Then she notices something. "Daddy?"

Her plaintive query makes Phoenix, who's been staring at the tiled floor, thinking the day over, look up. "What's wrong, Trucy?"

"I think Klavier is crying." Trucy sounded uncertain about this turn of events.

Phoenix sat up straighter in his chair and looked closer. Trucy was right. He stands up, pulling his handkerchief out of his pocket as he does, and carefully blots Klavier's tears away.

 _This is a good sign, right? I mean, this has to be a good sign. He's reacting to something, so he can't be very far out of it yet. And that means he should wake up soon, shouldn't he?_

As if she can read his mind, Trucy asked, "Is…this good?"

"I don't know, Trucy. It might be." Phoenix watched the German for a moment longer, but there were no more tears, and no sign that more were coming or that he would wake any time soon. After another moment, Phoenix sat back down.

The door to the room opened and Apollo slipped inside. He looked tired. He brought the last chair in the room closer to the bed and sat down. "How's Klavier?"

"Still not awake." Phoenix replied. "Is Edgeworth finished with you?"

"Yes. He had the nurses find notebooks and Lana transcribed the…" Apollo trailed off. He didn't want to call it an interrogation, but it had felt that way. And he hated the thought that what he had said to the prosecutor was a witness statement. "She wrote down what I told Mr. Edgeworth. And then she had to do the same for Ema."

Phoenix grimaced. He could not imagine that that had been an enjoyable experience for Lana. He himself was more than a little appalled by the information that had come out while Klavier was still being treated for his wounds; that Apollo had nearly been shot by the Nazi officer and that Klavier had gotten hurt by trying to intervene in that situation.

Their family of four was nearly cut in half this afternoon. It's not a pleasant thought.

"Is Larry still out there?" Phoenix asked.

"I think he was. I didn't look though. I came straight here. Maybe Mr. Edgeworth will deal with him instead." Apollo said.

 _Great minds think alike_. "We can only hope."

And then they all settle down to wait.

(-)

Klavier can't figure out what's wrong with him, why he's crying, and why his head hurts, and it's not helping him stay calm at all.

Kristoph rests a hand on his head, and the action pauses Klavier's frantic thoughts. And then someone or something wipes his tears away, too. "So what do you want?" Kristoph asked.

"I want us to be a family again, like I thought we were going to be in Kiel before you sent me away." Klavier admitted.

"So why don't you try asking for that?"

Klavier paused. He hadn't mentioned that idea to Kristoph at all, in any of his letters. "I didn't think you would listen."

"You've heard the reports. The war won't last forever. It can't, at this point. Why don't you try asking me about it?"

"I'm afraid of what you'll say."

"No, you're not." Kristoph replied. "Let's be honest, that's not an excuse. You knew I was going to have a few things to say when you came home from school with your ear pierced and that didn't stop you."

Klavier smiled, in spite of himself.

"So, stop making excuses and telling yourself you're afraid."

"I am afraid."

"Nothing is going to change if you stay afraid. And you won't be satisfied if you stay afraid either." Kristoph said, taking his hand off his younger brother and turning towards the door. "You're a Gavin, after all."

"That has nothing to do with anything." But it is something Kristoph would say.

Kristoph turned and walked towards the door. Klavier watched him go, and called after him, "I'm going to write you and ask."

"Good." Kristoph replied. "I'll be looking for the letter, I'm sure." Then Kristoph is gone.

Klavier thought about it. He was tired, and his head still hurt. He laid back down and closed his eyes.

(-)

A slight groan is their first sign that Klavier is waking up. Trucy tightened her grip on his hand, suddenly excited, as Apollo and Phoenix straighten up in their seats

Klavier stirred, and then reached up towards his head. The pain was coming through loud and clear now.

Phoenix reached out and caught his hand before Klavier could touch the wound on his head, and carefully lowered it back to the bed. The German's eyes fluttered open.

"Welcome back," Phoenix said quietly. "You had us worried for a little while there."

" _What happened_?"

Phoenix doesn't speak German, but he can guess the meaning. The real question Phoenix has is 'where do I start explaining?'

He didn't get a chance to reply, though, before Trucy suddenly jumped up on the bed and threw her arms around Klavier as best as she can. "I'm glad you're alive!" She said, burying her face in his chest. Klavier winced at the sudden loudness of her voice.

"For goodness sake, Trucy," Apollo said, and suddenly he's in Klavier's line of sight too. "He just got hurt. Don't jump on him."

"You're all here." Klavier said, reverting back to English. He kept his voice down; his headache was misery.

"You didn't think we would leave, did you?" Trucy asked. She was speaking in her normal tone, but she lowered her voice when Klavier winced again and this time she saw it. "Sorry. We're not leaving! Family has to stick together at times like this!"

No one caught the sudden look on Klavier's face, the brief shock and then the look of fulfillment. _I was never without a family. I have two families. It was never an either-or proposition._ They don't blame him for what happened, they don't hate him for it. And though he thinks later that he should have known that for years now, it's at this moment he really, truly believes it. He closed his eyes and returned Trucy's hug.

Phoenix, in the meantime, had figured out how to answer Klavier's question, but it required a question of his own. "Do you remember what happened?" He asked, keeping his voice down.

Klavier considered it. "Most of it, I think." He glanced at Apollo as Trucy carefully released Klavier and slid off the bed. "I remember that they caught Ema, and then you." Then another thought occurred to him. "Where's Ema?"

"She's with Lana and …I am pretty sure Edgeworth is with them both." Apollo replied. "Do you remember what happened after they caught me?"

" _Nein_. Nothing except that they were going to shoot you."

"So after the Nazis caught Apollo…and…threatened to shoot him," Phoenix still does not really like this particular part of the story. He doesn't like any of it, to be honest, but he likes some parts less than others. "What is the next thing you remember?"

"Waking up." Klavier looked confused. "But…I don't know what I was waking up from."

"And you remember nothing that happened in between?" Phoenix asked.

" _Nein_. Why? What happened?"

Apollo and Phoenix looked at each other, and then Apollo said, "You got hit in the head pretty hard. You were unconscious for a while."

"I remember waking up from that." Klavier admitted. He reached his hand to his head again, and this time Phoenix didn't try and stop him.

"You had a cut, in the same area where you were hit." Phoenix explained. "The worst of the damage is hidden but you needed stitches for it. How do you feel?"

"My head hurts," Klavier replied. "How soon can I go home? Or will they keep me here because of the headache?"

Phoenix looked relieved at the question. "I'll see if I can track down your doctor and find out."

* * *

 **[A/N:]** So some time ago, I asked people to start thinking about why I named this story Certain Demolitions. Certain Demolitions was named after this quote from Les Miserables:

 _"People are unlearning certain things, and they do well, provided that, while unlearning them they learn this: There is no vacuum in the human heart. Certain demolitions take place, and it is well that they do, but on condition that they are followed by reconstructions."_

While the quote refers to religion, when I thought about it, I realized that a lot of demolitions take place in this story (and I don't just mean that in reference to the Gavin's house a couple chapters ago, either. That was an unintentional example.) The lives that Kristoph and Klavier had before the war began, and before Hitler rose to power, are gone. The relationship between the brothers has, to some degree, been demolished as well. The family that Phoenix used to have before Apollo invited Klavier to stay with them is gone. The life Ema used to have before she met Klavier is gone. Not all of these changes are bad. We saw that Trucy loved the idea of two big brothers. Some demolitions are permanent, but as Hugo said, there are certain reconstructions as well. I think there will even be some in this story.

I guess the one thing I do want to say about demolitions and reconstructions in life and it's that…after something like the relationship between the Gavin brothers has been demolished, any reconstruction won't bring back the same relationship they had prior to the demolition. I wasn't going to wax on that much, but some people in my own life seem to think that reconstructed relationships are identical to the ones that were torn down. If they are, more power to you, but that has not been my experience. That doesn't make the reconstructed one less valuable, but I find the wish to have reconstructions be exact to be unrealistic.

 _Asphyxia of the Soul_ and _Play a Fantasia_ are also named after other quotes from Les Miserables. _Night_ is the odd one out, as the rules of how it was to be named were dictated by the contest it was written for.

Okay, on to the actual notes. When someone has a concussion, there is a potential that they will not remember what happened that led up to the incident that caused their head injury. That's why Klavier can't put all the pieces together as far as what happened to cause him to need medical treatment. He has most of the pieces, but some are missing, because getting hit in the head can interrupt the process by which the brain forms and stores memories. What else? We covered bleeding head wounds last chapter.

Other than that, I can't think of anything else I needed to say here. If you have questions, let me know.

Please review.


	51. An Ace Attorney Investigates

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 51: An Ace Attorney Investigates**

When Phoenix Wright came out to the waiting room to tell Ema, Edgeworth, and Lana that Klavier was awake, Edgeworth was relieved. But there's one more thing he has to do, even though he doesn't think it should be done right now.

"I'm going to need to talk to him about what happened, Wright," Edgeworth said.

"Do you need to do it now?" Phoenix asked.

Edgeworth glanced at Lana and Ema, both of whom were giving him curious looks. He got to his feet and motioned back down the hall in the direction Phoenix had come.

When both attorneys are out of sight and hearing in what Edgeworth thinks is probably a supply closet, he said, "You need to know that when I interviewed Ema she said that the Nazi captain told her and Klavier that they wanted Klavier for something his brother did."

Phoenix looked nervous. "I don't suppose the Nazi captain said what it was that they were upset with Klavier's brother for?"

"It's never that easy, Wright, but I called the jail and detective Gumshoe tells me that Blackquill is on his way over. Hopefully he can get some information out of them."

"You'll keep me informed?"

"Naturally. What are you going to do now?"

"I'm trying to track down the doctor and find out if we can take Klavier home."

"I'm still going to have to talk to him." Edgeworth pointed out.

"Give him a couple of days to recover first, okay?"

"Only a couple of days, Wright. And I may have to talk to him even sooner, depending on what Blackquill says."

"What are you doing now?"

"I'm going to take Lana and Ema home. Kay left when Ema was done with her interview; I suspect she's back to their house by this point."

"Okay. You know where to find me if you need me."

Edgeworth nodded, and both men departed the storage closet, heading in different directions in the clinic.

(-)

The first thing Edgeworth did iwa take Lana and Ema home. Then he went back to his office at the courthouse and instructed one of the police officers to go to the clinic and help make sure the Wright family gets home. Then he called Gumshoe up to his office.

"Yes sir!" Gumshoe exclaimed, bursting in through the door.

Edgeworth took a seat behind his desk. "I need a telegram sent out, and I'm going to be very busy this afternoon."

"Yes sir Mr. Edgeworth!" Gumshoe exclaimed again. "Hey, Mr. Edgeworth, that newspaper reporter who's a friend of yours is in the waiting room. Do you want me to throw him out?"

"Not yet, I might need him. But now I need you to send a telegram."

Gumshoe pulled out his notepad. "I'm ready to write it down, sir!"

Edgeworth leaned back in his chair and considered it. "F…" He paused. "'Nazi landing in town. Need to know why this happened.' No, take that last sentence out. 'Need info why. Urgent. Target was German.' And change 'in town' to 'here.' Next sentence: 'Letter with details will follow.' No, take out that last line again. 'Letter to follow. ME.'" He looked at the detective. "Did you get all of that?"

"I've got, "F Nazi landing here need info why urgent letter to follow ME." Gumshoe read it off.

"Put a "stop" between 'urgent' and 'letter' and send it." Edgeworth told him. He wrote down some information on a sheet of paper. "Send it to that location so Franziska gets it."

"Yes sir!" Gumshoe saluted and ran out the door. When he did, he left the door open and Larry came in.

"Edgey! I need the exclusive scoop! I overheard Lana Skye's sister say that this Nazi invasion was because the Nazis were after Klavier Gavin for something his brother did!" Larry exclaimed.

"Overheard? How did you overhear that?" Edgeworth demanded.

"I put my ear to the door, listened, and took notes." Larry explained.

Edgeworth glared. Larry didn't notice. "And is it true what Apollo Justice said about how Gavin distracted the one Nazi and by doing so kept him getting shot and that was how Gavin got hurt?"

"Were you listening through the door to that interview, too?"

Larry crossed his arms of his chest, closed his eyes, and looked away. "A good newsman uses all his sources."

"A good newsman doesn't listen through doors to interviews the chief prosecutor is conducting unless he wants to end up in jail." Edgeworth threatened.

"Is there a law against eavesdropping?" Larry asked.

"If there is I will find it." Edgeworth promised. "But not today. Today you are going to get your exclusive scoop."

"Really?" Larry asked excitedly.

"And Wright is going to get a break, because if I put you in jail, you'll call him and he has enough problems at the moment. So what do you want to know? And I'm only going to talk to you until Detective Gumshoe returns, so you had better be quick."

(-)

When Detective Gumshoe arrived back at Edgeworth's office, he was nearly run over by Larry, who went racing out, shouting about getting his exclusive scoop into the evening papers.

Gumshoe brushed himself off, and went into the prosecutor's office. Edgeworth was at his typewriter, hard at work on something. Beside him were some carbon copies of documents. The originals are missing, but Gumshoe had the sudden thought that those documents look like ones that Larry was carrying when he left.

"Sir! I'm back to report that the telegram was sent, sir!" Gumshoe saluted again.

"Good. I'm working on the letter to Franziska right now," Edgeworth said.

"Do you really think she will know what happened, Mr. Edgeworth?"

"I don't know, but I need her to find out. I want to know what happened to make Nazis show up in my town." Edgeworth replied.

"What did you tell that news reporter guy?" Gumshoe asked.

"What happened. And I may have told him how I want him to report a few things, also," Edgeworth said. He looked up from his typing. "Is Blackquill finished at the jail?"

"I can call down and find out!"

"Do that. Use the phone on Klavier's desk," Edgeworth ordered.

Gumshoe darted out of the room. He returned a few minutes later. "Prosecutor Blackquill wants to know how long you'll be in the office. He plans to come up and talk to you as soon as he's finished at the jail."

"Tell him I'll be here as long as he needs me and he can come by at any time." Edgeworth replied.

Gumshoe returned to the anteroom and relayed the message. Then he came back to Edgeworth's office. "He'll be by as soon as he gets done."

"Good."

"Is there anything else you need me to do, sir?"

"I need an airmail envelope."

"I'll see if I can find one." Gumshoe promised, and departed.

Edgeworth spent the next half hour in solitude, pondering the events of the day and wondering where Gumshoe was with the envelope for his letter. Then Simon Blackquill appeared in his doorway. "I hope you don't mind, but the door to your secretary's office was open, so I let myself in."

"I don't mind at all," Edgeworth said. "Come have a seat. I'll have the witness statements that I have to you as soon as the other court reporter gets done typing them up. Did you get anything out of the prisoners?"

"One of them refuses to talk, and you need to know that the Captain went and hung himself in the jail at the first moment he wasn't under surveillance in his cell."

Edgeworth started at that. "Really?"

"It's one way to make sure one doesn't give up secrets." Blackquill noted. "The one soldier is claiming to know nothing, but Schmidt, the last soldier, said that they were sent by a higher-ranking Nazi to find someone. The only thing he knows beyond that is something that his captain said about needing to punish a traitor, and they were on a mission from someone higher up the ladder; a Lieutenant Mander."

"That Captain told both Klavier Gavin and Ema Skye that …how did Ema phrase it? He said to Klavier that he was going to be the guest of honor at a party the Nazis were having for his brother," Edgeworth said.

"What do you know about Klavier Gavin's brother?" Blackquill asked.

"Very little," Edgeworth admitted. "His name is Kristoph, he's older than Klavier by a number of years, and he stayed in Germany when Klavier came to America. But I've already asked Franziska about that." He indicated the letter on his desk. "As soon as Detective Gumshoe returns with the supplies I need, I'll mail it to her. I'd like for you to mark it so that the censors leave it alone."

"I will. Have you asked Klavier Gavin about it?"

"Not yet. But I will. And I'll see you get a copy of what he tells me."

"I appreciate it. And you'll tell me what your sister says?"

"Only if you keep Debeste from hearing about it."

Blackquill considered it. "I can probably arrange that. And I'll let you know if I get anything else from the Nazis."

* * *

 **[A/N:]** I don't think that Edgeworth would take Nazis showing up in town too well. I don't know why I feel that way, but I do. And the title is a play on the game title. It was too good to pass up, even though the most investigating Edgeworth does is put things in motion to try and get more information later on.

Not too much going on here, note-wise. Telegrams...could be expensive. I don't know what the cost would have been in today's date because you can't even send one anymore. Telegrams were totally replaced by telephones, in the end.

Please review!


	52. Light and Heavy

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 52: Light and Heavy**

Phoenix would like to wait for events to blow over, but he knows that in this town, there's no hope of that happening. Especially when the paper arrives at their door the day after the incident with the Nazis, and Larry's write-up on what happened is on the front page.

Apollo has the day off of work today. "You can stay home from school if you want, today, Trucy," Phoenix decided, setting the paper on the table after he'd skimmed the article.

"Really?" She asked, setting her silverware down on the table. She and Apollo are the only ones at the table this morning. Klavier was still sleeping. Apollo had been given the task of waking the German up every couple of hours throughout the night. It had been easier than expected, on Apollo's end at least; he hadn't slept and had been up all night reading. He had simply gone upstairs every couple of hours to wake up the increasingly miserable blond.

"Yes," Phoenix said.

"You can help me take care of Klavier," Apollo said. He planned to make up for lost sleep this afternoon.

"How's he doing?" Phoenix asked.

"He was not happy to keep getting woken up, but he woke up," Apollo told him.

"He didn't seem confused, though?"

"No, just frustrated."

That's reasonable, Phoenix thought. After what Klavier had been through, he probably just wanted some uninterrupted sleep.

Maybe he would get a chance to get some today.

The phone rings a moment later, and Phoenix jumped up to answer it. He slammed the phone back down ten seconds later, and then took it off the hook. "If you need me, I'll be home at lunch. Or come and get me at the office if it's urgent. Don't put the phone back on the hook."

Apollo looked concerned. "People are calling about…?" He trailed off and pointed at the paper, with its bold, glaring headline about the events of the previous day.

"Yes," Phoenix said flatly. His office phone would be the next one ringing off the hook, but at least he would be the one answering the questions, and not his children.

(-)

Trucy was lying on Apollo's bed, with her feet towards the head of the bed and her head at the foot of it. She was lying with Apollo's pillow under her chest, the better to prop her up so that she could read her book.

Apollo was downstairs, on the couch, trying to make up for lost sleep. Klavier was still dozing in his bed, though the sun was well up by now and the morning was wiling away.

Trucy didn't mind; she was enjoying the day off from school.

Klavier stirred and sighed. Trucy looked up from her book, and then went over to the other bed. "Klavier?"

The blond opened his eyes. "Trucy? Why are you here?" He asked quietly.

"Daddy said I could stay home today," Trucy said, keeping her voice down and perching on the edge of the bed. "How are you feeling?"

He rolled over, carefully since he was on his left side now and that was the same side of his head that was now stitched up, and covered his eyes with his hands. The sun outside was too bright. "My headache isn't gone." And he's afraid to sit up; he's already got a feeling of vertigo.

"Are you hungry?" Trucy asked. He hadn't eaten dinner last night, and he'd slept through breakfast that morning.

He isn't hungry, not really, but he didn't want Trucy to worry, and he did need to eat. "Just a little bit, Trucy. I don't need a lot."

Trucy nodded. "I'll get some food for you, okay? Don't go back to sleep."

"I'll try not to." Klavier replied.

Trucy nodded and left the room.

(-)

On the second day after the Nazi attack is thwarted, it's Ema who comes over to stay with Klavier.

Klavier managed to get dressed that morning, and made sure he kept his sunglasses on, even in the house, because it's too bright everywhere, and using a hand on the wall to keep himself steady, made it as far as the stairs. Then he blacked out and fell down the stairs.

Fortunately, Apollo, who has not left for work yet and was about to go upstairs and check on Klavier anyway, is at the bottom of the stairs to break his fall.

For a moment Apollo is stunned. He's flat on his back on the bottom of the stairs with the breath knocked out of him, and Klavier unconscious on top of him. As soon as he regained his breath, he tries to wake Klavier up.

"Klavier, Klavier!" He's trying to be quiet, but loud enough that he can wake the German. Apollo would shake him, but he doesn't want to make Klavier's head injury any worse. "Come on, Klavier. Wake up."

After a moment the blond stirred and opened his eyes. "Herr Forehead," Klavier said, pressing a hand to his own head. "Isn't this a bit sudden?"

"Oh don't give me that line," Apollo muttered. "You fell on me."

"I did what?" Klavier asked, propping himself up on his elbows.

"You fell down the stairs," Apollo repeated, taking advantage of the fact that half of Klavier's weight was now off him to get out from underneath him. He sat on the floor. Klavier managed to sit up, but closed his eyes and pressed his hands to his head. He felt extremely dizzy. "What do you remember before you fell?" Apollo asked, picking up Klavier's sunglasses up, folding them up, and putting them in Klavier's jacket pocket.

"I was looking down the stairs," Klavier said. "And then I woke up at the bottom of them."

"Okay. Come on," Apollo helped Klavier back to his feet and over to the couch. "Do you want some help getting to sleep?"

" _Bitte_ ," Klavier replied.

"I'll get you something to eat first." Apollo told him, going back into the kitchen. As he did, he glanced at the bottle of medicine on the counter.

When Ema arrived a little later that morning, Apollo was getting ready to leave for work. Klavier was curled up on the couch, under a blanket, sound asleep.

"How is he?" Ema asked when she saw him.

"He fell down the stairs this morning."

"What?" Ema asked, turning away from Klavier. She tried to keep her voice down, though with the medication Klavier had been drugged with a train could have been driven through the room and he would have slept through it.

"He fell down the stairs and landed on me. He did eat some food, and then I added his medicine to some coffee." Apollo said. "Anyway, the medicine and the dosing guidelines are on the counter. I have got to leave or I'm going to be late."

Ema had brought a book and settled in the chair next to the bookshelf in the living room.

(-)

Meanwhile, in the courthouse, in the defendant's lobby, Phoenix was hastily rearranging his notes when Lana burst into the room. "By the way, Edgeworth…"

"Don't say he updated the autopsy report." Phoenix said, stopping what he was doing to look up at her.

Lana paused. "Not that I know of. He was just wondering if you'd gotten a letter from Maya Fey yet. I guess he sent one to Pearl lately and he hasn't heard back yet."

"He's still writing her?"

Lana shrugged. "He said he knows what it's like to get uprooted from your home and he wanted to help her adjust to being back in the Kingdom of Khura'in."

"I haven't heard from her since her training got more intense a couple of years ago. Her writing is really sporadic now. She still plans to take over her position as head of the Fey family once the war ends and she can go back to Japan." Phoenix said, finishing his organization and sliding his papers back into his briefcase. "Of course, I haven't gotten today's mail yet at the office, so who knows? Didn't he give her his address?"

"He said he did."

"What did I say I did?" Edgeworth asked, coming into the room.

"You sent your address to Pearl, right? So that she could write to you?" Phoenix asked.

"I did. But the last letter I sent her was two month ago."

"Hey, speaking of letters, have you heard from Franziska?" Phoenix wanted to know.

"Nothing yet. But if I don't have a response from her by the end of the week, at least a telegram if nothing else, I'm sending her another telegram." Edgeworth promised grimly.

"The end of the week?" Phoenix asked.

"Listen Wright, I don't know what her schedule is or where she works. All I know is what she told me about where to send anything if I need her."

"I'll let you know if I hear anything from Maya, or Pearl." Phoenix told him. If Pearl had lost or misplaced Edgeworth's address, which she might have, he knows she knows the address of the law office.

"Oh Prosecutor Edgeworth!" A sickeningly sweet voice came from the hallway. Lana and Phoenix both turned around in time to see Wendy Oldbag enter the room.

In that ten seconds between the sound of her voice and her arrival in the room, Edgeworth, who had recognized the voice at first syllable, took the opportunity to vanish. The door into the courtroom was still swinging ever so slightly.

"Oh, it's just you," Oldbag said dismissively when she saw Phoenix. "I was looking for my dear Edgey-poo."

Lana just glared at the older woman. "Stop sending my fiancé flowers!"

Oldbag seemed to not hear her, but then a moment later she turned to face the other woman. "I heard your little sister is taking care of that Kraut today."

Phoenix looked suitably put out. "Listen, 'that Kraut' has a name."

Lana had a different perspective. "Who told you that?"

Oldbag waved her hand dismissively, as though she could wave the question away. "When I went to get my mail today the postmaster told me why your sister wasn't there at the window like she usually is. I can't believe you would let her do that! Young people today have no standards! He's probably taking advantage of her right now! Young people should always be supervised by responsible adults. You can't give them even a moment alone! Why, he's probably faked the whole getting hit in the head thing. Men will do anything to get a woman's sympathy and-"

"Objection!" Phoenix shouted, pointing at Oldbag. "Shut up! Or we'll sue you for slander!" _Besides, with the medication he was given at the clinic, she'll have to take advantage of him._

"Nothing has happened, or will happen." Lana said, looking just as put out as Phoenix. "So I think you'd better go. And keep your opinions to yourself."

Oldbag left a moment later, still muttering under her breath. Phoenix and Lana watched her go. Then they looked at each other.

"How long has she been calling Klavier a Kraut?" Phoenix asked.

Lana countered with her own question. "Do you really think she'll shut up?"

"I think so. And like I said, if not we can always sue her." Phoenix replied.

(-)

Klavier slept without stirring until that afternoon. Ema read for a couple of hours, then got hungry and went to make lunch.

She found ingredients in the fridge and made egg salad. When she came back to the living room after her meal, Klavier was fumbling around for his sunglasses, which Apollo had left on the coffee table.

Ema picked them up and put them in his hand. "Here."

" _Danke_ ," he said, putting them on. They made the light from the windows more tolerable.

He turned to face her. "I'm sorry I have been such poor company, _Liebchen_."

"You don't have to apologize," Ema replied. "Are you hungry?"

"Not really." He told her.

"Thank you for saving Apollo and I, the other day," Ema said.

"You don't have to thank me, _Liebchen_. I wasn't going to let them hurt you if I could help it. Not you or Apollo," Klavier said quietly.

Ema came over and sat on the edge of the couch. "How are you feeling?"

"My headache won't go away. And the light bothers me. But other than that, I'm okay," Klavier said, and gave her a weak grin. Ema looked ready to cry.

" _Liebchen_ ," Klavier said, motioning her towards him. Ema threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. "I will live. You act like I never took risks in Germany, either."

"You're not supposed to have risks in America," Ema muttered without looking up.

"Apollo didn't get shot. That is worth what they did to me," Klavier said. "I couldn't have faced Trucy if that had happened."

"They weren't going to let you face Trucy. They were going to drag you back to Germany."

"But they didn't, Ema. So don't worry about it. I'll be okay." Klavier wrapped his arms around her.

She didn't say anything else. Klavier drifted back to sleep, and Ema stayed there, holding on to him, for a long time.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** So, one of the first treatments I ever heard, back when I was young, was that you should wake someone up every-so-often to make sure that they are able to wake up. I haven't kept up on my first aid so much these days, but last I heard anything, you shouldn't do that because your body heals and recovers while you sleep, so waking someone up when their body is busy working to help them heal.

So, then I learned that one of the treatments in the 1920s for a fractured skull was sleep, and that the patient should be drugged if they couldn't sleep. I thought I'd run with both here ( _file this under artistic license, and get your medical info from someone with an actual medical license, not a fanfic writer_!) because I could see wanting to, for the first day, anyway, make sure that the person could actually wake back up, and then after that they could sleep. Anyway, that part is probably wrong.

In this time period, painkiller and sleep inducers would have been narcotics, so...that's why you could have driven a train through the room and Klavier wouldn't have stirred. Whatever he's taking in this time period is probably illegal today.

No, I am NOT a Klapollo shipper, but that line by Klavier was too good to pass up. Plus, I think he'd be trying to act his usual cheerful teasing self, after freaking people out like that. Oh, by the way, if someone has a head injury and they black out and fall down a flight of stairs, you should probably be on the phone with Emergency dispatch if they're unconscious or their doctor if they are awake. See that italicized note above about taking advice from qualified medical professionals and not fanfic writers? Take that to heart.

So, I had guest reviewer Red who wanted to see they Feys in here, or at least what had happened to them. So I thought I would try and show some of that in this chapter. Plus, I could see Edgeworth writing to Pearls. In Miles Edgeworth Case Book manga, it's amazing the lengths he goes to to watch out for Pearls. I read it and I was like, "Dude, just adopt her and take her home."

Alright, I think that's everything. Title comes from the Switchfoot song by the same name. Not for any real reason, but there are what I hope are some light moments in here among the heavy ones.

Please review!


	53. A Waiting Game

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 53: A Waiting Game**

MILES EDGEWORTH

STOP

WILL INVESTIGATE MATTER STOP TRYING TO LOCATE KG STOP NEXT MESSAGE TO COME BY COURIER

STOP

FVK

"I can't begin to imagine what it must have cost to send that," Lana said, handing the telegram back to Edgeworth.

"I wish I had the money Miss von Karma wastes on telegrams," Phoenix muttered. He had already read it before he'd given it to Lana.

The three of them, along with Detective Gumshoe, were cloistered in Edgeworth's office at the courthouse. It had been half a week since a U-boat had come ashore to drop off the Nazis who had attempted to abduct Klavier.

"She said the next message would come by courier so there's no telling how long that will take," Edgeworth admitted. "I'm surprised she got the one I sent as quickly as she did."

"And it sounds like she's having trouble finding Kristoph Gavin, too," Lana said, picking up the telegram again. "She says, 'trying to locate K.G.', so she must be looking for him still."

Edgeworth gave an aside glance. "Given what I've heard that has happened to Munich, I believe it." Then he looked at Phoenix. "When did Klavier last get a letter from his brother?"

"I couldn't say," Phoenix said. "I feel like it's been a long time, though." He sighed. "But I hope Franziska gets back with us soon."

"You're not the only one," Edgeworth admitted. "Blackquill said that one of the Nazis who were trying to abduct Klavier admitted to dropping off a team of saboteurs. The saboteurs were caught before they could do any damage. Apparently the Nazi mission was two-fold."

"Wait a minute," Lana said, suddenly looking alarmed. "Ema said they wanted Klavier for something his brother did. Does that mean Kristoph is in danger?"

"Probably," Phoenix said grimly. "Listen, Edgeworth, Klavier asked me last night if I would send a telegram for him to somewhere in Switzerland. I guess Kristoph told him a long time ago not to write directly home in Munich but to send his letters to Switzerland fist."

"Before you send that, let me talk to Klavier. Whatever we do, we'll have to be careful about it. Franziska's already working on it. I told her everything that happened," Edgeworth said. "And I had Blackquill note on the front and back of the envelope that I sent my letter in that the censors were to let it through."

"And you think that worked?" Phoenix asked.

"Here's hoping," Edgeworth replied. Now he was the one who was grim. "It's the best we can do over here, short of getting on a plane and going over there. And we'd probably create bigger problems than we'd solve if we did that."

Detective Gumshoe spoke up. "I'm sure Miss von Karma knows what she's doing, Prosecutor!"

"I know she does, Detective," But he still looked worried. She was his sister, after all. "I'll make sure you all know what else she says. And Wright, I need to interview Klavier."

"Can you just come over tonight and interview him at my house?" Phoenix asked.

Edgeworth nodded. "I can. I'll bring the telegram tonight and talk to him about that, too." He looked at Lana. "Are you willing to transcribe?"

Lana nodded.

"Then it's settled."

(-)

 _Germany_

 _One Week After the Nazi Incident in America_

The train tracks were destroyed by Allied bombing raids, so Franziska von Karma ended up taking her bag and walking into Munich.

Or what was left of it.

She had gone back and forth between London and Germany several times since she'd gotten the telegram from Miles Edgeworth telling her about Nazis landing back in America. She had had to go back and forth because she kept checking for a letter that she knew Miles was sending her. But telegram had given her enough to start looking for information on why the Nazis had gone to America.

When Miles' letter had arrived a week later, it had filed in the missing information from the telegram, and then she had had a bigger problem: the need to find Kristoph Gavin and let him know what had happened. She had been sent a telegram back right away because it would serve two purposes. First, it would let Miles know she had received his letter. Second, it would let them know why she was moving so slowly: she didn't know where to find Kristoph Gavin.

When she had first gotten the letter, she had extracted, after some creative persuasion, all of the information that she could get about him out of her cohorts in London and set out to Munich. She had been fully prepared to wait at his house all day if she had to do so to be able to speak with him, but when Franziska arrived, she found most of the neighborhood had been destroyed in a bombing raid. Only one wing was left on what had once been a large, magnificent house that matched the address she had been given.

No one was there. Franziska had looked around what was left in the neighborhood and sighed. If he was a refugee, there was no telling where he may have gone.

There was nothing she could do but start looking.

(-)

MILES EDGEWORTH

STOP

MUNICH IN RUINS STOP SEARCH FOR KG CONTINUES STOP NO FURTHER CONTACT WITHOUT INFORMATION STOP

FVK

"No further information?" Phoenix asked, handing the telegram back to Edgeworth.

"She means she's not going to contact me again until she has information," Edgeworth explained, taking the paper back.

Phoenix leaned back in the chair in front of Edgeworth's desk. "She didn't send this by courier."

"She wouldn't need to. No one's going to get a lot of information out of it, even if it was intercepted," Edgeworth said. "Wright, Klavier has to be told this. You can tell him, or I can bring the telegram by tonight."

"Did he already leave for the day?"

"He did." Edgeworth confirmed. Klavier was back up to working half-days at the office now.

Phoenix frowned. "What do you think it means?" he asked, gesturing at the telegram.

"I don't know." Edgeworth admitted. "She did say that Munich was in ruins, so that might be hindering her search." He didn't need to point out that the other options were worse.

The defense attorney sighed. "I'll talk to Klavier. But will you being the telegram so he can see it anyway?"

"Of course." Edgeworth promised.

(-)

It wasn't until dinner was over that Edgeworth took out the telegram.

"Phoenix mentioned you'd heard from your sister." Klavier said quietly when he saw it. Ema, who was sitting next to him, wrapped her arms around his left arm and leaned against him.

Edgeworth didn't say anything and just slid the message over to him. Klavier took his sunglasses off and read it in silence; Ema read it over his shoulder.

The others around the table were also silent. Trucy was the first to break it. "Is there any news?"

"Franziska is still looking for Klavier's brother." Edgeworth told her. "She's having some trouble with the search."

"Kristoph has disappeared." Klavier said quietly, putting his sunglasses back on.

Trucy looked uncertain about that. "But…people don't just disappear, do they?"

"They do in Germany." Klavier said, still quiet.

"But it says that Munich is…well, ruined." Ema pointed out. "That might be the real reason she can't find him."

"I certainly wouldn't be making her job any easier," Lana said.

Phoenix had a question of his own. "Have you gotten any letters from your brother recently?" He asked Klavier.

"None." The German replied quietly.

Apollo drummed his fingers on the table. "What's the next step?"

"I'll keep waiting to hear from Franziska," Edgeworth said. "She's the one in the best position to look for Klavier's brother."

Klavier nodded.

There was nothing else they could do.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** I don't know that I delved too much into costs of sending telegrams, because it's going to be hard to compute given the value of money differences, but as I may have already mentioned, a local account of the war talks about how only certain life events, like the birth of a child, warranted sending telegrams for people in a middle class living situation (Like Lana and Phoenix!) Obviously, Edgeworth and Franziska have more money and are not middle class, but Franziska's telegrams are still ...excessive. For starters, she does not have to spell out Edgeworth's full name. Edgeworth a couple of chapters ago shortened his message a lot, not just to be more cost efficient but because the letter is a more through way to get information across and he doesn't need to load the telegram with information.

Other than that, I can't think of anything else I was supposed to mention here. Please review!


	54. The Things That Matter

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 54: The Things That Matter**

 _Spring, 1944_

 _America_

It's been a month since the Nazis landed in America. It's been almost a month now since Klavier's last letter to Kristoph was sent, which he mailed to Switzerland a week after he was attacked.

There's been no reply, and Edgeworth has had no news from Franziska.

Ema got out of work one bright, sunny day. She gets out early, which is a nice change. But Klavier isn't waiting outside the building for her.

This is the first week he's started waiting for her after she gets out of work since the attack. The steady streak of his patient waiting to walk her home had been broken when the Nazis arrived. First, because he was hurt and spent the next week at home, and then because he spent the next week and a half after that working only part time, though she had heard from Lana that on more than one occasion during that time, Edgeworth had taken Klavier home early because of the severity of the headaches the latter had been suffering.

Ema debated about waiting for him to show up. After all, it wasn't like he wasn't coming, and she was early. She sat down against the building, half in the shade, and pulled out the notebook Klavier had given her. She turned to a new page and just started to write when there's a shadow over her, and she looked up to see a young man she recognized from her time in school and her one-time flame, Theodore Phillips.

"What is this?" He asked, pulling the book out of her hands.

"Hey, give me that back!" Ema said, jumping to her feet. But Theodore held it over his head, and Ema couldn't reach it.

"Is that how you welcome back a soldier who's been to war?" Theodore asked, dark eyes boring into her. "I get leave for once and you aren't even glad to see me."

"I can't believe you didn't get blown up." Ema told him. "As big of a klutz as you are you were probably voted most likely in your platoon to blunder into a minefield."

Theodore looked shocked. "Well that's a fine how do you do. Are you still sore about how I laughed at you when you said you wanted to be a detective?"

"That and the time when you knocked me over. And fell on top of me on purpose. Now give me my book back."

"Oh settle down. It was a joke. Anyway, everyone knows that women don't really work in law enforcement."

Theodore was focused on Ema, and so he missed the fact that Klavier was approaching him from behind. Klavier plucked Ema's notebook out of Theodore's hand, and when the other man swung around to face him, asked, "And who is everyone?"

Theodore blinked owlishly. "What?"

"You said that everyone knows women don't work in law enforcement. Who is everyone?" Klavier asked.

Theodore just glared up at him. "Who are you?"

"Klavier Gavin."

"You're German!"

"Yes I am. Who is everyone?"

Theodore couldn't figure out what to make of the question. "Well, you know, everyone."

"Actually I do not know everyone." Klavier replied, walking past him and offering a hand to Ema. He helped her to her feet and gave her the notebook back.

Theodore was spluttering. "You know what I mean! Or maybe you don't, Kraut! Either way, whatever they do in Germany, it's not acceptable for a woman to work in law enforcement in this country!"

"Really?" Klavier said as Ema took his hand and twined her fingers into his. "So, your country allows women to go to war but won't allow them to work in law enforcement."

"It's not a fit job for women!"

"But war is?"

"They're not on the front lines!"

"They could still get hurt." Klavier pointed out. "Just because someone is not on the front lines of battle doesn't excuse them from the risks of it."

Theodore stuttered again, but by then Klavier and Ema were already walking away, hand in hand.

"Thank you," Ema said when they were far enough away.

" _Bitte_ ," Klavier replied. "You know him, I take it?"

"We dated for a little while in high school. It isn't worth talking about." Ema replied.

They found seats on a bench in a nearby park, and watched as one of the few cars in town drove by on the road a few feet away. "Have you heard from your brother?"

" _Nein,_ " Klavier said quietly.

"Well, it takes a long time to send mail overseas, right?"

"Yes, it does." Klavier replied. Unspoken between them was his fear that the delay wasn't due to the war, but to the fact that Kristoph had been arrested.

"You said once that he raised you," Ema said.

"Yes. Even when my mother was alive, he was replacing her."

"He was replacing her?!"

"Not on purpose. My mother had consumption, tuberculosis. I did not understand why she was always pushing me away, and I did not understand why Kristoph was always trying to convince her to leave. When I got older I learned she pushed us both away because she was afraid we would get sick too. And then Kristoph told me one day years after Mother died that he had been trying to make her go to a sanitarium. Maybe if she had gone, she would still be alive."

"Why didn't she go?"

Klavier shook his head. "Kristoph never found out. I suppose that in a lot of ways, it always has been just the two of us."

"Well, don't give up hope yet. Miss Von Karma might find him yet!"

Klavier nodded and pulled his hand free from hers. He wrapped it around her shoulder, and Ema leaned against him. "People will talk." She warned.

" _Ja_ , but they do that anyway."

"This is true," Ema conceded, and decided not to move. He was pretty comfortable.

(-)

 _Munich, Germany_

 _About the Same Day_

Franziska von Karma was almost at her wit's end. The only thing that kept her going was her complete, total unwillingness to confess to her younger brother that she had failed in this mission.

So, she had made up her mind that she would find Kristoph Gavin if she had to tear what was left of Munich apart.

She was looking at a list of names posted in a storefront window. The store had bomb damage but was still standing. Kristoph's name was not on the list. But there were other lists to check, she was certain.

She turned to go, and nearly walked into a man walking down the ruined sidewalk behind her. "Foolishy foolish fool! Watch where you're going!"

The man frowned. "Pardon me. I believe you almost walked into me." He said, then saw what she had been looking at and his look softened. "I hope no one you know was listed."

"No, they were not. But I can't find them, anyway," She said.

"I have connections here," He said. "I'm Sergeant Wilhelm Berger. Perhaps I can help. Are you looking for a family member?"

"No. A friend who lives here in Munich." Franziska replied.

"What is his name?"

"Kristoph Gavin."

"Kristoph Gavin is staying with me at the moment since his house was destroyed." Sergeant Berger said. "But today he went home to try and salvage what he could from it. He's been there several times since it was destroyed."

"So he's there now?" Franziska asked.

"He should be."

"Good! I'll go meet him there. Thank you, Sergeant," Franziska said. "You've been helpful." She strode away.

"Uh, maybe if you're not busy tonight, we could have dinner? Or a drink?" He called after her, but Franziska was walking down the street with such speed that she was already a good distance away. "Uh, well, maybe next time."

(-)

When Franziska made it back to the ruins at the address she'd gotten in London, it seemed like no one was there.

But she hadn't met Kristoph on the way here, so he might still be in there somewhere, she reasoned, and walked up to the house. The cobblestones that led to the door were still there, and floor of the entryway was marble, and it had survived the fire. She followed it through timbers and beams that delineated former walls, and went into the wing that was still standing. Here the floor changed to tiles and then there were walls and part of a roof over her. "Gavin?" She called.

For a moment she thought she was still alone, then he appeared, pushing his glasses up as he did. He was not wearing his suit jacket, and his shirt and pants black, to better hide the smoke and ash that would get on them. He was still wearing his pink ribbon at his throat, though, and oddly enough, and pin of a crescent moon, set with blue topaz and sapphire gems, pinned at his throat. "Fraulien von Karma? What brings you here?"

"An urgent message for you." Franziska said. "You need to leave Munich. Your position as a spy has been compromised."

He raised an eyebrow. "Well, that's news to me."

Franziska bit back a retort. "Is there somewhere we can sit? I have a letter you need to see."

The pair ended up sitting at the kitchen table. The kitchen has sustained smoke damage, but it's still standing, as is the scullery. Most of the rooms in this wing that entailed the day-to-day work of a maintenance back when the house was staffed by a phalanx of servants are still in one piece.

The letter is extensive and detailed; Edgeworth had wanted to make sure Franziska knew the full situation. He had even added lines from the depositions of Apollo and Ema where they would be appropriate. She sits in silence and looks around the spacious kitchen while Kristoph reads. On the counter are a few bottles of wine, some plates and silverware in a neat stack, a couple of ceramic pieces that she can't make out, a marble statuette. Kristoph's suit jacket hangs over the back of his chair, but she can tell he brought that with him; it wasn't in the house during the fire.

" _I want to know why this happened, and please do not tell me that this is too sensitive for you to talk about,"_ Edgeworth wrote near the end of the letter. _"I have just had to deal with Nazis in this town, and I'm not very happy about it. I just had to depose Ema Skye, who was in tears earlier because she thought Apollo was going to get shot, and had to watch Klavier get hurt, and then I had to depose Apollo who was also convinced he was going to get shot, and they both got to watch Klavier Gavin get hit in the head so hard he passed out from it. I'm told he'll recover from his injuries but I also watched him while we waited for medical help to arrive and he was quite out of what was going on around him. It wasn't pretty. So please, do not argue. Find out why this happened. Find out what Kristoph Gavin did that made Klavier such a target. I don't need my goddaughter or her family caught in the crossfire of this (and if something happens to Klavier, I don't want to have to explain it to Trucy; neither does Wright), nor do I need my fiancée's sister caught in something like this again. Please just send information, and soon."_

Kristoph's expression didn't change as he read the letter. Fraziska is waiting for him to agree that he does need to leave, but he folded the letter and laid it down and didn't say anything when he was finished.

"You need to leave Munich." Franziska repeated. "I think the Nazis have made you."

Kristoph pushed his glasses up on his face. "If I've been made, why haven't I been arrested? It's been more than a month. They've had plenty of time and ample opportunity to do it."

Franziska looked annoyed. "Then thank your lucky stars it hasn't happened yet and get out of here while there's still time to do so. It's a lot harder to get out after they've got you lined up against a wall for the firing squad."

"Bullets are needed for the war effort. They would just hang me," Kristoph said flippantly.

Franziska did not look impressed with this announcement. "Foolish fool! It's still easier to leave before your head is in the noose."

"London needs everything I'm giving them."

"Your brother needs to not be faced with Nazis trying to drag him back here, unless you want a family reunion early," Franziska said, and then she saw the look on his face and knew she'd struck a blow.

"You need not worry about me," Kristoph said coolly. "I won't take unnecessary risks. But I have work to finish up here." _And revenge_ , he thought, but he didn't say it out loud.

There had been a postscript on Edgeworth's letter. _"Blackquill tells me that one of the Nazis said that they were on an assignment from a Lieutenant Mander."_

That was all that Kristoph needed to know. He handed the letter back to her. "Thank you for telling me."

She nodded, a bit put out, and looked around. "What are you going to do about this place?" She could tell it had once been a nice home, the costly marble entryway, beautifully scrolled trim on the walls that were left standing, and functional-yet-ornate furniture were understated presentations of old money and family history.

"There's not much I can do about it. I've been working on salvaging what I can." Kristoph said, looking around.

 _What would have happened if the war hadn't happened?_ This question has been loitering in his mind for several days now, and it's still stuck in his head. It was usually followed by the question, _what if the last war hadn't happened?_

"I'm sorry about your house." Franziska said, in a moment of what was for her, uncharacteristic softness. "It must have been very nice, once."

Kristoph gave a tired smile. "My family isn't from Bavaria, originally. We were from East Prussia. The story goes that one of my ancestors fell in love with a young woman in Munich, and they married and went back to East Prussia. But the family matriarch missed her home. She never complained about it, but my ancestor could see that she was happier when she was in Munich. So, he bought land here, and built a grand house to rival the palaces of the other nobles in Munich. He gave it to her as a gift and my family has lived here ever since."

"That must have been quite a passion, right there."

"It shows up from time to time in the family tree, aimed in different directions," Kristoph said, thinking about Klavier and his music.

If the war hadn't happened – if the first war hadn't happened – then maybe Konrad Gavin would still be alive. Klarissa Gavin might have gone to a sanitarium. Maybe she wouldn't have. Maybe there was nothing that could have been done. Klavier would have probably gone to a conservatory for music in Vienna. Maybe he would have married Heidi von Metz. And Kristoph would have opened his own law office by now.

His musings on what might have been were disrupted by a new voice. "Well, I hope I'm not interrupting," Kristoph and Franziska both looked up to see Callisto Yew standing there. She had a sheaf of papers in her hands. "I've been trying to track you down for weeks," She said to Kristoph. This was very important to her: she was owed back wages.

"Things were disrupted," Kristoph told her.

"I noticed." Callisto replied, looking around what was left of the house. "I have deliveries for you."

"Bring them in." Kristoph said. Callisto came over and handed the sheaf of papers.

On top of the stack was an envelope from Switzerland. A tiny notation on the back of it showed that it was forwarded from America.

That meant it was from Klavier.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** So, this chapter was actually written before I wrote Chapter 8 of Fantasia. I kind of enjoyed writing this chapter; I like Kristoph trying to envision what their lives would have been like if the Wars had never happened. And I like Berger's reaction to Franziska. No, Berger, you cannot date Franziska. I can't envision that ending well...for you.

I apologize to everyone for the fact that I am running behind this week. I was trying to get FFN stuff accomplished last night, and the website was down. Please review!


	55. The Raging of the Moon

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 55: The Raging of the Moon**

 _Munich, Germany_

 _Late Spring, 1944_

It's times like this that Kristoph really missed his home office. To be fair, he misses his whole house, and while it's nice that Berger has offered him a place to stay, it's not the same as being in his own home.

When Franziska and Callisto leave, Kristoph stayed at the kitchen table and read the letter from Klavier. He hadn't wanted to open it while they were there. Callisto has been paid, and Franziska is to come back in a week to pick up the letter Kristoph will start writing to Klavier. She's sending her own message to her brother by courier, and she'd offered to have Kristoph's delivered too.

He'd already been displeased when he saw the letter that Franziska had gotten from Miles Edgeworth. His blood pressure isn't improved by the time he's finished reading Klavier's letter.

"… _I had been hoping to get this letter finished yesterday, but then I felt dizzy and had to stop. The last time I tried to work through feeling dizzy I woke up to find Phoenix picking me up off the kitchen floor. But I'm getting better every day and I'm back to work part-time now._

" _Why were the Nazis angry with you? They said they were, and that's why they were in America. Are you safe? I know you didn't want to leave Germany when you sent me to America, but you should consider it now…"_

He tucked the letter and other papers in his suit jacket, took two bottles of wine from the counter, and hid the other items in an empty cupboard. It wasn't a good hiding place, but if anyone came wandering by, everything was at least out of sight.

There was one thing that he really hoped would remain there, and that was a bottle of red wine from the state of California. It was very old, as evidenced by the layers of dust he'd disturbed when he brought it upstairs. He distantly remembered it as a bottle his father had bought during a trip out of the country.

Kristoph had a very special plan for that bottle of wine. But tonight, he needed some information from Berger, and the best way he could think of to get what he wanted was to ply the other man with wine and get him drunk.

(-)

Before Callisto had left that day, Kristoph had given her the contents of a telegram to take back the Drew Misham in Switzerland. Misham would send the telegram itself on the America.

And Klavier would know that Kristoph was still alive as soon as it arrived.

That night, after he and Berger have eaten dinner, Kristoph puts his plan into action. They pair shares cooking duties, and Kristoph sometimes thought that this is what it would have been like if he had moved out and started his own law practice: he would shared rooms with someone to save money.

Except probably not, his family was rich. He would have had private rooms.

"I found a few more things, cleaning out the house today," Kristoph said, when the dishes were finished. He had brought the two bottles of wine out to the kitchen earlier that day. Now he took them from the cupboard he had tucked them away in and set them on the table.

Berger looked interested. Kristoph smiled pleasantly. "Would you care for a drink?"

Berger is a social drinker, but he sticks mostly to beer, since as a working class-man, his family had mostly drank beer when he was growing up. But he doesn't turn down wine when it's offered, though he hasn't had it enough to really know what he's getting into past the second glass.

They uncork the first bottle, and when it's gone, Kristoph is still nursing his second glass while Berger is already tipsy.

"You know," Berger said, his words slightly slurred as he turned the empty bottle over in his hands. "I think I like this stuff."

"Well, then we shouldn't let the second bottle go to waste." Kristoph suggested. His own glass of wine is still half full.

"Really?"

"Go ahead and open it. Have another glass," Kristoph urged cheerfully.

Berger fumbled around with the corkscrew, unable to get a good grip on it and the bottle at the same time. Kristoph finally took both from him and opened the bottle.

"Thank you, Gavin," Berger said, and poured more wine into both of their glasses. He only spilled a little bit on the table as he did. "You know, the sirens haven't gone off yet."

"Good. Maybe tonight there'll be a break," Kristoph replied. "Let them go bomb Berlin instead." He suggested glibly.

"Bomb Berlin," Berger repeated, and laughed slowly. "Yeah, let 'em bomb Berlin! Let the Fuhrer know what his people are going through!" He gesticulated wildly for a moment then picked up his glass and held it out. "Here's to the Fuhrer! Maybe the Tommys will get him tonight!"

Kristoph clinked his glass against Berger's. "To the Fuhrer, and the Brits." They both drank, but Kristoph only took a sip. Berger downed half his glass.

When there was only a little wine left in the bottom of the second bottle, Kristoph turned the conversation in the direction he wanted it to go. "Have you found out anything else about the spy in the office?"

"Spy…spy…no. No trace. Can't find him. Lieutenant Mander is upset we can't. But...he's not a spy." Berger giggled. "He's a ghost. The ghost of the Kaiser, who is angry about the war!"

"It could be." Kristoph acknowledged. "Even Lieutenant Mander has no ideas? Or does he still suspect me?"

"Nothing, nothing he's told us. He keeps looking when he isn't occupied with other things." Berger said, playing with his empty glass. "He thinks it's you, but he…he… has got no proof. The spy is a ghost, that must be it. And that's why we can't find him."

"Too bad," Kristoph replied. "I would have thought he would have found something."

"Yeah," Berger said. "You would have thought … and been wrong!"

"So it would seem," Kristoph responded, then changed the subject again. "I see we shot an American plane down the other night."

"Yes. Damned Amis." Berger frowned and looked like he was concentrating very hard. "But you know, I think Lieutenant Mander's getting mail from someone in America. Maybe he's the spy and we can't find him because he's investigating himself."

Kristoph's hand tightened around his wineglass. "Really? What makes you think he's getting mail from America?"

Berger tried to focus on the other man's face, gave up when he couldn't, and started playing with the wine bottle. "Last time I was in his office, I saw a letter with an airmail stamp on it. The stamp said 'U.S. Postage.' That's America, isn't it?"

"It is." Kristoph confirmed quietly. "Did you see anything else about it?"

Berger returned with a question of his own. "Why are you so curious about it?"

Kristoph had an answer ready. "Because you might be right. What better way for a spy to cover up what he's doing then to investigate himself? The more you remember about it, the more we can figure out if we need to perhaps speak to Colonel Hass about it."

Berger nodded, slowly, and a bit longer than necessary. "I see. I remember the street it was addressed to." He stumbled over the name of it, until Kristoph supplied the name of the street that his own house used to be on.

Berger nodded some more. "That's it. That's where it was addressed too."

Klavier's letter to Heidi. Kristoph thought. It had to be, because the first one that came to him, the one that had been lost, had not had a stamp on it. But Heidi's would have.

He could only guess at what had happened, but Heidi must not have destroyed the letter, and Mander had gotten his hands on it somehow. Kristoph thought he knew exactly how, too: Franz von Metz.

 _I should have killed that bastard sooner._

Berger slammed both hands down on the table, interrupting Kristoph's train of thought. "I'm tired." He slurred. "I'm going to bed." He stood up, slid his chair back, took a step, and fell over.

For a moment, Kristoph just sat in his chair, until the soft sound of snoring told him that Berger was asleep. _This may have worked better than I had planned_. He stood up, went over, and nudged Berger with his foot. "Get up. I can't carry you, and I certainly can't pick you up."

It took some time for Berger to wake up and struggle back to his feet, and then Kristoph had to help him to his room. This turned out to be a tougher proposition than expected; Berger kept tripping into objects and stumbling against the walls. They made it to the door to his room, and then Berger tripped into Kristoph, who accidentally put his foot down hard to keep himself from falling over and felt the jolt in his bad knee. He winced. "I'm going to pay for this in the morning."

He managed to get Berger into the room and deposited him on the bed, then he retired to his own room and went straight to bed.

(-)

In the morning, Berger is hung over and Kristoph is limping. Kristoph leaves the apartment first, and goes to the small building that is one of three that the War Communications Office has taken over since their first one was blown up. (Now down to two small buildings after the Royal Air Force's last visit to Munich; the third one is in ruins.)

He thinks about the information he's received over the last day. His papers are safe in his valise, and he's sure that Berger's never gone through his things.

Kristoph knows what he wants to do; the question is how to arrange circumstances so that it can be done.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** This chapter is named after a song by White Heart. I picked this...not because Kristoph is raging or anything. Okay, well, he is a little, but he's keeping it under wraps. The song itself opens with a very eerie synth sound. There are some version of the song available on YouTube in America; if you go over there, you can hear the beat in the first eight seconds or so of the song, then it repeats periodically through the rest of the song.

After this chapter, you might be thinking "Is Berger a traitor?" The answer is no, he isn't, but he is capable of independent thought, which is why he's upset with Hitler, because he's read the writing on the wall that says that Germany is not going to come out of this war as the winner. And that's why he's wishing that someone would bomb Hitler. Of course, following the 20 July plot where several military men tried to execute Hitler, this is a really dangerous thing for him to say, drunk or sober, so he must have a lot of faith in the fact that Kristoph won't turn him into the Gestapo. Of course, we know that Kristoph isn't even on Germany's side to start with, but Berger doesn't.

Let's backspace for a minute, though. Speaking of people who realized that Germany was not going to win the war, the 20 July plot, otherwise known as Operation Valkyrie, was an attempt by military officers to try and kill Hitler. According to Wikipedia, the plan after Hitler was dead was that the conspirators would make peace with the Allies. The plot failed and Hitler survived. A lot of people - German people - died after this because not only were the conspirators killed, but so were their families. According to Wikipedia, people were still being executed for supposed involvement in the plot, or failure to do anything to stop it, until the end of the war, so...Berger should shut up. In Vino Veritas indeed. Again, Berger isn't wrong for feeling the way he does, and I don't say any of this to vilify him. But in the time, place, and circumstances in which he is living, he would have been arrested by the Gestapo if anyone other than Kristoph Gavin: Allied Spy, had been listening to him rant.

Please review!


	56. He Who Laughs Best

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 56: He Who Laughs Best**

 _Munich, Germany_

 _April, 1944_

As Hitler's birthday approaches, the good news spreads that everyone in the office will be getting extra rations in honor of the occasion.

It wasn't until it came to the issue of rationing that Kristoph discovered that even Sgt. Berger had limits to what he was willing to tolerate for the sake of the war. Kristoph had tried to avoid going to the black market, but while rationing hadn't gotten that much tighter, availability of foodstuffs had gotten worse. A week after he arrived at Berger's apartment, he gave up and went back to the black market. To his surprise, Berger had said nothing about his return with food they both knew couldn't be bought in local stores. He adopted the habit of not asking where Kristoph kept getting food from and sometimes giving him money to help buy things. Kristoph, for his part, shares everything he buys on the black market, except when it comes to coffee which he is occasionally stingy about sharing.

But the attitude around the office is one of a generally good mood in light of this revelation.

Lieutenant Mander comes by Kristoph's new office that afternoon. Unlike the original building, which had three floors, this building has one floor, so Kristoph has no need to worry about stairs. His knee has been doing much better lately.

"Herr Gavin," Mander said coolly as he stepped through the door. "I suppose you've heard the good news about the rations."

"Lieutenant Mander," Kristoph replied, and smiled. "I certainly have. But I can't imagine you came down here just to tell me that."

"You are correct," Mander retorted, and dropped a stack of papers on Kristoph's desk, adding to the growing pile that was already there. "All of these are top priority." He didn't say anything else; Kristoph had worked for the office long enough to know what that meant.

Kristoph gave the stack a long glance. "Of course." He moved them off the other papers that were sitting on the corner of the desk, to the center of it.

Mander stands in front of the desk for a long moment. Kristoph is already ignoring him, turning his attention to the next documents.

"Have you been getting any letters from America lately?" Mander asks suddenly.

Kristoph looked up, and looked moderately surprised. "I can't say I have." He lied, and then gave the other man a curious look. "Is there a reason for asking me this?" It's on the tip of his tongue to ask if Mander's men, or women, or Hitler Youth members, or whoever has been assigned to read all of Kristoph's mail before it gets to Berger's apartment, have found a letter that they prevented from reaching its destination, but he bites the retort back.

Even stressed, worried, and following a pretty severe based on all accounts blow to the head, Klavier had still mailed his letter to Switzerland, so Kristoph didn't think anything from his brother would come by regular mail.

"No reason." Mander said, and tried to sound nonchalant. His eyes come to rest on the crescent moon pin at the base of Kristoph's throat, pinned on the knot of the pink ribbon the other man wore.

 _Oh, there was a reason_ , Kristoph thinks, and for a moment his glasses go shiny in the light from the bare bulb overhead. Then he smiles again. "If there's nothing else, I need to get back to work."

"Of course," Mander said, and turned to leave. He left unwillingly, like there was something else he wanted to do or say.

(-)

On the way home from work that night, Kristoph goes to the ruins of his house. The items he'd stashed in the cupboard were all touched. He had brought a box from the office.

He stayed at the ruins of his home for awhile. He took all the bottles of wine, everything that had been left in the wine cellar when the house was destroyed, with him when he left.

(-)

There are six bottles of wine total, some with years of dust accumulation on them. Kristoph brings them into the office on April 20, Hitler's birthday.

During lunch, when the office is largely empty, he takes the opportunity to get into Mander's office and search it. He's brought some papers with him that need to be brought to the other man's attention, but Kristoph intentionally forgot to put his signature on one of them, so that if anyone walks in on him while he's searching Mander's office, he can say he's looking for a pen because a signature needed on one of the documents escaped his notice.

He checks all the drawers, the filing cabinets, feels for secret compartments within the desk, even checks around the edges of the rug, but there's no trace of the letters.

Kristoph doesn't doubt what Berger told him about the letters being in Mander's possession, but Mander is clearly not keeping them in his office. _Of course, we work in the same building now._ Mander's other office had been helpfully destroyed by the Royal Air Force as well. _He may have been expecting me to do this._

Kristoph found a pen, signed the last paper, and left the stack and the pen on Mander's desk when he left. There was no reason to hide that he'd been in the room, and no need to deny it if, by chance, someone did see him. Then he went back to his own office.

He kept the bottles of wine out of sight until the end of the day approached, when he mentions to one of the young women in the office when she brings him another stack of documents that he has brought some wine in with him. He knew that she liked wine, and the finer things in life (even though she gets them by trading favors that Kristoph's noble breeding won't allow him to discuss in public.)

Kristoph does not want the trollop in his office, and what's more he doesn't want her offering to pay him in her usual manner for it – the mere thought makes him want to cringe.

"Here," He handed her one of the bottles that were sitting in a group behind his desk. "Be sure and share it with your friends in the office. But don't tell anyone where you got it."

"Of course," She agreed, but he knows that she won't keep her word.

Kristoph is counting on that.

He doesn't like this plan. There's too much that can go wrong with it; it's too dependent on certain people acting in particular ways. There's no guarantee that they will.

But of this doesn't work, then Kristoph doesn't know what to do, other than do to Heinz Mander what he did to Franz von Metz, and he'd rather not go that route again.

Once the girl leaves his office, trying to hide the wine bottle as best as she can and doing a poor job of it, Kristoph turns his attention to the papers she brought in.

As the minutes ticked by until quitting time, a couple more workers trickle in asking about wine. Kristoph doesn't say anything when they ask, but after he's handed them a bottle, he gives them the same warning he'd given the first girl: share, but don't reveal the source.

"After all, I don't have unlimited bottles here." Kristoph told the last woman who came in to ask. She was older; middle aged, and started working here after several of the able-bodied men in the office were drafted.

And sent to the Russian front.

"Why are you getting rid of them?" She asked. "Not, of course, that I don't want this," she said, holding the bottle in her hands up. It was about half an hour before quitting time; she was almost talking herself into the idea that she would behave and wait until the official end of the workday before imbibing.

Almost.

"Two reasons, one a bit more morose than the other." Kristoph replied, folding his hands and setting them on the desk. "First, my house was destroyed, and I'm salvaging what I can out of it. These bottles survived the fire, but they …are not really going to help me rebuild." He has no intentions of rebuilding. Not in Germany. "And with the influx of French wine, I doubt I would get much for them if I tried to sell them." He's not entirely sure this last part is true. But he's counting on the fact that the woman in front of him will have no idea either. "And also, it's the Fuhrer's birthday. We should celebrate."

Obviously her suspicions were not aroused, because at that statement she grinned at him. "We certainly should!"

"Remember, don't tell where you got it." Kristoph said, picking up his pen again and turning his attention back to his work.

"Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me!" She grinned again and vanished out the door.

Kristoph shook his head. _If only you knew…_ Then he went back to work.

(-)

It's past quitting time. Kristoph is down to the last couple of documents on his desk and he's trying to finish them up as quickly as possible when his office door opens and Mander comes in.

"Herr Gavin, I hear that certain employees of this office were drinking this afternoon, without official permission. I am told they got their wine from you."

"Oh dear, were they drinking on the job?" Kristoph asked, and looked surprised. He thought he had really begun to perfect the art of the look of faux surprise. "It's true I gave them the wine, but I didn't intend for them to drink it here."

Mander looked at him suspiciously. "Why were you giving them wine?"

"Because first of all, it's the Fuhrer's Birthday, and a good time to celebrate. Second, I'm salvaging what I can from what's left of my house, and I have no use for the contents of the wine cellar anymore. And now is not a good time to resell wine." Unless it was on the black market. But Kristoph left that part out.

This was the part where things had not been as well-planned as Kristoph would have liked. Either he would have to offer Mander the last bottle of wine, or Mander would ask for wine himself. He's heard around the office that Mander likes to travel to Paris when he has leave to do so, so there is a chance Mander will just ask.

Really, Kristoph would like to know his enemy better than this, but there's only so much spying he can do in a day and he certainly can't feed information to the Allies while he's keeping an eye on Mander. Until the other day, he had only viewed Mander as an opponent on the other side of the war at worst, and an irritation the rest of the time. That Mander would go as far as sending men to America to drag Klavier back to Germany is something he never expected.

Mander seems to consider the idea. Then he asked, "Do you have any left?"

This is what Kristoph had been hoping for. "I have one bottle left. It's very special, California wine, actually."

"California? As in America?" Mander asked, looking intrigued.

"That's the only California I know of." Kristoph replied, producing the bottle from behind his desk. The bottle itself is still very dusty, in spite of the traveling it's been doing lately.

"And why do you have wine from California?"

"My father purchased it a long time ago, while he was in France, I think, but I don't know for certain." Kristoph said. He set the bottle on the desk. Mander took it and turned the bottle over, glancing disinterestedly at the writing on the back. Kristoph watched him skim over the words and realized that while Mander could speak English, he couldn't read it

"Are you sure you don't mind giving it up?" Mander asked, looking at Kristoph curiously. One did not find a bottle of California wine every day, and he was having trouble believing that Kristoph would simply give it up.

"I won't be able to drink it any time soon, and I don't even know if it's still good. But, try it before you leave please, and let me know how it is."

"Naturally," Mander said, as though he were a wine expert. He raised the unopened bottle. "To the Fuhrer."

"To the Fuhrer." Kristoph responded, keeping his hands on his desk.

Mander turned at that and disappeared out the door.

Kristoph finished up the last document he was working on. It needed to be taken the Lieutenant as well. When he had it done, he picked up his cane, turned out the light, and locked his office door as he left. The locks on these offices didn't amount to anything, and anyone with leverage could get the door open if they really wanted to, but it was a habit that Kristoph didn't intend to get out of.

He walked down to Mander's office and tapped on the door. A sound between a moan and a gasp came in response. Kristoph's smile was cruel ad it widened as he opened the door. "I have the last document for tomorrow," He said holding it up so that Mander, who was on the floor behind his desk, could see.

Mander was lying on the floor, purple faced and gasping. "What did you do?"

"What did I do?" Kristoph dropped the paper on the desk and came around the side of the desk so that he was standing next to Mander's head. "What makes you think I did anything?"

"The wine…poison…" Mander trailed off.

"Oh, that?" Kristoph asked, looking at the bottle of wine. He had finally used the atroquinine he'd carried in his ring for so long. The hidden compartment under the emerald was now empty. He turned back to Mander and gave another mean grin. The Nazi looked like he was in agony. "You ran around thinking that I was the spy who was leaking information to British. You were right. I am the spy. But even though you imagined I was this great spymaster, you seemed to think you could attempt to harm my brother without my finding out about it." Mander had almost gotten away with it, which makes Kristoph even angrier. The Nazi in front of him had nearly succeeded in his plan to drag Klavier back to Germany and use him as leverage against Kristoph.

"You miscalculated." Kristoph's voice was cold. "And you took something from me that I want back." He knelt next to the other man. His knee let him know immediately that this was not a good thing, but he was past caring about the consequences now. He opened Mander's uniform jacket, and felt a stack of papers in an inner pocket. He pulled them out and shuffled through them quickly.

Some of it is orders for troop movement, some of it is communications from Mander's superiors in regards to other aspects of the war. Kristoph decided to take all of the papers with him when he left. But he couldn't leave until he found the ones he had come for.

He searched Mander again, ignoring the other man's feeble attempts to push him away. He came back with more papers in another inside pocket on the other side of the man's uniform jacket.

In this stack Kristoph finds what he wants: a letter addressed in Klavier's handwriting to Heidi von Metz, and then the letter Klavier had written to him.

Kristoph tucked all the papers into the inside pocket of his suit jacket, and then took out a single paper he'd brought with him; a flyer from a local group of resistance, warning the Nazis about stopping their war. He tucked that sheet half into Mander's uniform and rose, stiffly, to his feet. Mander's breathing has slowed to practically nothing, and his eyes are unseeing.

In a few short minutes, the man will be dead.

Kristoph didn't stay to watch. He turned and walked away, plucking the bottle of wine and the cork off the desk and taking it with him as he went.

(-)

The Gestapo, of course, investigate the death of Lieutenant Mander, but in the end, they can't figure it out beyond the fact that he was killed by some sort of anti-Nazi resistance group, perhaps as a warning.

Sergeant Berger, who looked more weary these days than anything else, told Kristoph this the next morning while they're eating breakfast. It's another blow to the efforts to fight a war that isn't going so well these days. Germany needs every able-bodied man it has.

Time passed. The case remained unsolved.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** _...laughs last._

Listen, we all knew Kristoph was going to take the discovery of what Mander did very poorly. and since Kristoph's already beaten someone to death with a bottle, this time he was going to have to poison someone.

Kristoph was supposed to have some focus in CD, but as a secondary character, just enough in the picture so that readers would be able to frame his relationship with Klavier and his ongoing actions in Germany that made Klavier a target. Early on, a reviewer told me that they really liked the scenes with Kristoph, and to be fair, I liked them too. Kristoph turned into a main character the longer CD went on. In the end, I think he got nearly as much "screen time" as Klavier did. He ended up being quite the break out character for the story.

I did go look up stuff about French wine in WWII for this chapter. So, yeah, that whole thing about French wine is loosely based on what I was able to determine.

I don't have a lot to say about this chapter. I think at this point the story will end at Chapter 60. I've never written a 60-chapter story before! To be fair, I've never written a 56 chapter story before, either...and I don't think I've ever put this much work into researching a story, either. I keep thinking, "What will I do when this is done?" I mean, other than finish Asphyxia and Fantasia. It's strange to think that this story's going to be over soon.

Anyway, please review!

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 **EDIT (04-01-18):** Okay, reviewer KKX caught a historical error! I have the Allies invading France about a month too early! Thank you for catching this, KKX. I have cut the line in question and repaired the error in the AO3 version as well.


	57. Certain Reconstructions

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 57: Certain Reconstructions**

 _May 1944_

 _America_

Apollo was glad it was Saturday and he didn't have to think about going in to work. He had had a long Friday night. Unable to sleep again, he'd been up all night reading. He had put in his two weeks' notice at the factory; he was going to work under Phoenix now and read law, in hopes of taking the bar exam soon. Klavier was also reading law, but he was doing so and working under Edgeworth.

The sun had just started to come up and Phoenix had come downstairs to start making breakfast when Apollo finally closed his book and went upstairs.

As he did, there came a knock on the door. He opened it and found Larry standing there. "Uh, we were we expecting you?"

"Of course you were, Apollo, don't be silly!" Larry said, coming into the house. "I'm here to help with the planting today, remember?"

"Oh, right," Apollo said, thinking of the containers and containers of seedlings sitting outside, waiting to be put in the Victory Garden. "Okay."

"Did you spend all night sitting up again?"

"Yes," Apollo admitted. He turned and walked away, heading up the stairs as Larry went into the kitchen to see what Phoenix was up too.

Apollo arrived in his bedroom and set his book on the edge of the trunk closest to his bed. Faint sounds of distress from the bed on the other side of the room caught his attention, and he turned to see Klavier, who was tossing and turning in bed.

It was probably a dream the blond was having. Apollo hesitated for a moment, then went over and shook Klavier awake. "Klavier. Come on, wake up."

The German came awake a moment later, looking startled. "Herr Forehead?" He asked, looking confused.

"You were having a nightmare. Are you alright?" It's a dumb question, but Apollo only realized that a moment after he asked.

"Well, the nightmare is over." Klavier said. It wasn't a direct answer, which disappointed Apollo a little. He hadn't realized he'd been looking for a tell until he heard the answer Klavier gave.

"You know, there's something that my friend Clay and I used to do back at the orphanage when we were…upset."

Klavier gave him a curious look. "You've never mentioned this Clay before."

"I was in an orphanage. It wasn't a great time in my life." Apollo noted pointedly. Then he went on. "We would shout about how we were fine. It really helped."

Klavier looked unconvinced. Apollo didn't notice. "Here, I'll show you…"

(-)

Downstairs, Larry and Nick were chatting about nothing of major interest, Phoenix having quickly turned away all attempts by Larry to get more information about one of his cases.

Larry was telling Phoenix about the latest gardening tips he'd read in the column that the newspaper had started running on Thursdays ever since the push for Victory Gardens began, when suddenly they both heard something.

"HE'S KLAVIER GAVIN AND HE'S FINE!"

Phoenix, who was used to this sort of thing happening every once in awhile, didn't bat an eye.

Larry looked up for a moment, as though he could see through the floor, then looked at Phoenix again. "Man, Nick, I don't know about your kids sometimes."

(-)

After breakfast that morning, Phoenix and the others went out to start working in the garden. Edgeworth showed up a little while after they started, with Pess, Lana, and Ema in tow.

"How'd you get Pess here?" Larry asked when he saw the dog come bounding around to the backyard, leading the way for Edgeworth and the Skye sisters.

"She sat on my lap." Lana said, coming to a stop at the edge of the garden.

"Really?" Larry asked.

"Yes, really." Lana told him.

Pess went charging through the garden, ripping up the stakes and string that Phoenix and Trucy were using to stake out straight lines as she did, much to Trucy's dismay and Phoenix's annoyance.

Edgeworth took his suit jacket off, tossed it to the side of the garden, and then whistled. Pess looked up at him, saw where he was pointing, and then darted over to where the jacket was lying and flopped down on it.

"I didn't know she would do that," Edgeworth said by way of apology to Phoenix.

"At least it was just the string and not the plants." Phoenix said.

The group had been busy working in the garden for a while when Trucy and Lana went back to the house for a pitcher of water and glasses. The morning had started off cool, but began to get warmer as the sun climbed into the sky.

Trucy was setting glasses on the tray while Lana filled the pitcher at the sink when they both heard a knock at the door. Trucy and Lana looked at each other, and then Trucy went to answer the door.

A young man who Trucy recognized from class was standing there with a telegram envelope. "Delivery," He said, and handed her the envelope.

"Thank you!" Trucy said, looking at the envelope, then back up at him, but he was already walking away. She closed the door and looked at the envelope again.

Lana was watching her as she came back in. "Who is it for?" She asked.

"It's got Klavier's name on it," Trucy said, holding up the envelope so that Lana could see it.

Lana frowned. "You'd better take it out to him."

Trucy nodded and headed out the back door. She darted across the lawn. "Klavier!" She called, and had everyone's attention. Most of the group had stopped for a break anyway. Ema was sitting in the shade of a tree. Phoenix and Edgeworth were standing at the edge of the garden, discussing whether it was better to plant Tomatoes next to beans. Larry was petting Pess's head. Apollo and Klavier were pulling up the stakes and string for the seedlings that were already in the ground.

They all turned when Trucy came out with the envelope. "This just came for you," She said, holding the envelope out.

Klavier reached out and took the envelope from her, and hoped that the fact his hands were shaking didn't show. He opened the envelope and took out a single sheet of paper.

I HEARD WHAT HAPPENED.

I AM FINE. DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME.

LETTER WILL FOLLOW.

KRISTOPH

"Klavier!?" Phoenix's voice broke in, and Klavier realized that they had been trying to get his attention for some time now. They were all looking at him expectantly.

"Kristoph knows what happened. He says he's fine." Klavier told them, holding out the telegram.

Edgeworth took it and read it quickly. It was in English, so when he was done he handed it to Phoenix. "I wonder why you got a message before I did." He said to Klavier as Phoenix read the letter.

"Franziska must be falling down on the job." Phoenix said, and then looked sly. "I can say that, because she isn't here."

"You could say it if she was here too, but only if you want to get whipped for your trouble." Edgeworth snarked, handing the telegram back to Klavier.

(-)

That night, when he's alone, Klavier hides the telegram in his trunk.

He's usually not sentimental about telegrams, but this one he wants to keep.

(-)

Edgeworth gets his telegram from Franziska the next day, and then at the end of the following week they each get letters from their sibling.

As he usually does when he gets letters from Kristoph, Klavier reads the letter by himself, in the room he shares with Apollo.

Kristoph doesn't say a lot about why the Nazis would have been angry, but he does acknowledge there have been problems that might have made them upset with him.

It's not the answer Klavier was looking for.

Kristoph does say that he will have dealt with the problem by the time the letter arrives. Klavier isn't sure whether or not he should be worried about that, so he moves on and keeps going.

Towards the end of the letter, he finds what he wanted to see.

 _"…I think it would be a good idea if you did find a small house there in America. By the time you receive this letter, I will have had an account in Switzerland set up for you to draw money from. A house with one floor would be preferable. If I ever come there, I want my own room and a room I can set up as a home office. Apart from that, find what you like."_

The letter closes shortly after that.

It isn't a lot. It certainly isn't everything Klavier wanted to know.

But it is a place to start.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** Klavier got his telegram first, because Calisto only has to get back across the border into Switzerland and hand things back to Misham for him to handle the rest. Franziska has to get back to London before she can do anything (or so she thinks.)

Reading law used to be the way that people learned law. If I recall correctly, Abraham Lincoln became a lawyer this way. A person would buy (a) law book(s), study them, work under a lawyer, and then either go into practice for themselves after that or sit for the bar depending on the time period. It's really fallen out of favor, but some state will still allow you to sit for the bar if you've only read law and haven't gone to law school. It's also hard to find information about how a person would have been able to become a lawyer in this time period, so, I just went with it. Anymore, the expectation is that a person would go to law school before taking the bar.

Other than that, I don't have too much to say about this chapter. Next chapter will be lots of time skipping as the story starts to wrap up.

Please review.


	58. Two Worlds, One Family

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 58: Two Worlds, One Family**

 _A Shadowy War Planning Room,_

 _London, England_

 _1945_

"Listen, I gave a man my word. And you did too! You promised him you would make sure he got out of Munich. For delivering those rocket plans alone, I think you owe him that!"

"We can't spare the men."

"Cor blimey, mate. We've saved worse people for lesser reasons."

The colonel in the brown leather bomber's jacket looked indignant. "You can't spare the men!? Send two men into Munich to get Gavin out of there and back here to London. Send them in when the Allies take the place over. That's all it will take."

"Colonel, maybe that is all it will take, but we're pushing towards totally victory." The man behind the desk, a bureaucrat in the British War machine, said.

"Right mate. You haven't got enough soldiers to spare two. I should think they'd be happy for the assignment," The colonel's compatriot said, his voice tinted with a British accent.

The colonel put his hands on the other man's desk and leaned forward. "I know you said you needed my men and I for the cleanup in Hammelburg, but if you don't send someone to get Gavin, I will. He did us a service he didn't have to, and at great personal risk. And then as he was leaving, he helped us get rid of the Gestapo so our future missions wouldn't be in as much jeopardy. Get him, and bring him to England."

"The colonel is right," Another man said in the doorway, and the man sitting behind the desk jumped up to salute. The man in the doorway turned to the Colonel. "We need your men in Hammelburg to help with the contacts with the Underground. But pick two others form the support platoon and send them. We could use Gavin here now. Let's keep our word, and bring him out."

"Don't forget, he wants to go on to America." The colonel warned. His cohort nodded.

"We'll talk about that with him when the war is over." The man in the doorway said as he turned away.

The colonel looked at the British soldier who'd come in with him.

"Well colonel," the other man said. "It's a start."

(-)

 _Munich, Germany_

 _Mid-April, 1945_

"I can't go with you."

Colonel Hass, Lt. Wilhelm Berger, Kristoph Gavin, and one other high-ranking agent were in Colonel Hass's office, discussing the evacuation of the Munich war offices.

The Allies were closing in every day, and it was time to leave.

"There's no telling what the Allies will do to you if you're caught." Berger warned. "You would be safer if you came with us."

"And if you should for some reason, have no transportation or run out of fuel for said transportation, I would have no way of keeping up with you." Kristoph pointed out. "I would only slow you down. It's better if I don't go with you."

Colonel Hass and the other man in the office exchanged a glance. "I agree with Herr Gavin." Hass said after a moment. He turned to look at the other man. "I can't say enough good about the work you've done here, Herr Gavin, but if you're willing to stay behind, it might be for the best."

Berger wasn't about to give up. "When the Allies hear about the work you've done, who knows what they'll do to you?"

"I'm going to have to take that risk," Kristoph said, resolute. He was still hoping that a man he had met once a long time ago had remembered his request for London to send to send him to America after the war was over.

"We will leave you false information to feed the Allies," the third man said. "Perhaps that will slow them down."

Kristoph nodded, and the meeting adjourned a few short minutes later.

Berger and Kristoph left the meeting and stood in the hallway for a long moment. Berger broke the silence first. "I'll leave the keys to the apartment on the table for you when it's time for me to move out."

"Thank you," Kristoph replied.

There was nothing else they could say.

~x(-)x~

On May 8, 1945, Germany officially surrenders.

World War II is over as far as Europe in concerned.

The news is met with much rejoicing, everywhere.

In a small town in America, Miles Edgeworth is relieved at the news and hopeful that Franziska will hang up her spying gear and go back to being a prosecutor, which is much safer. To be fair, she did get shot that one time, but that was a different situation then her spying, which could get her killed a lot faster.

War may be over in Europe, and Phoenix is certainly relieved on behalf of his clients whose family members went to war, and on behalf of Edgeworth and Klavier for their loved ones who were in the crossfire. But the war with Japan isn't over, and he's waiting for that to end, so that Maya and Pearl can go home, if they'll have a home left to go to when the war ends. He wants to get a letter from Maya telling him that she and Pearl are going back home to Khurain Village. That, he thinks, is the moment when he'll really believe that the war is finally over.

Klavier has noticed that lately the letters that are forwarded from Kristoph through Switzerland are actually postmarked from London, starting just before the German surrender came. This encourages him; however Kristoph has managed to do it, he made it out of Germany. But Kristoph still hasn't said anything about what his plans will be now, if he'll stay in London or come to America.

Trucy has begun to wonder about this too, since the thought has occurred to her that, now that the war is over, Klavier might leave them. She's asked him about it before, but he doesn't know what to say about it. If he needs to go back to London, he will.

But Ema is here in America, so he if he does have to go back to London to meet with Kristoph, Klavier has no plans to stay in London.

A month and half after they hear about the German surrender, another letter arrived from Kristoph. Klavier opened it at the dining room table.

He's barely begun to read it when Trucy pops up behind him. "What did your brother say?" She asked. She couldn't read the letter over his shoulder; it was written in German.

"Mostly just things about life in London." Klavier replied. Kristoph had long ago perfected the art of writing a letter and saying in it nothing of any importance. Sometimes he manages to make these letters run for pages. It frustrated Klavier, who wanted to have some honest conversations about some different topics with his brother. But lately he's begun to think that those conversations won't take place until after the war.

A paragraph near the close of the letter, though, has the information Klavier has been looking for.

Apollo wanders into the room a moment later, and he is the first to take stock of the look on Klavier's face, Trucy having long since wandered off to practice a new magic trick she'd come up with. "What is it?" The law student asked.

Klavier laid the letter down on the table. "Kristoph is coming. He's got a visa." Klavier had discovered _en_ _route_ to America, all those years ago, that what he thought was a student visa he was traveling on was actually an immigration visa. "He's going to immigrate to America."

(-)

The day after he gets the letter, Klavier is telling Ema about it as he walks her home from work.

Ema listened in silence until he was finished. Then she said, "I'm glad he's coming here."

" _Ja_ , I am too," Klavier said.

"So, if he's coming, then you're staying," Ema said.

" _Ja_." Klavier agreed, and then stopped walking and looked at her. "Does that make you happy?"

Ema felt heat rising in her face and looked away. "Don't ask dumb questions, Fop." She muttered.

She turned back to face him and found him kneeling in front of her. "Fop! What are you doing?!"

"Marry me, Ema."

Now she was sure her face was bright red, in spite of her makeup. "Klavier…" She started, floundered, and then shut her mouth. Then she asked, "Would you please stand up?"

"I'm proposing to you Ema, I can't stand up right now." Klavier told her.

Too many things flash into her mind for her to process; things like how even the people in this town who believed she would work in law enforcement never believed that she would ever be a detective but Klavier never doubted her, or how she and Kay had been talking about getting engaged just the other day and what kind of rings they would want if it happened and they said yes, and how she's been with Klavier longer than any other man she's ever dated and she likes him so much but she would be mortified if she ever had to admit it to anyone, even him…

Ema squeezed her eyes shut and nodded. "Yes. I will marry you."

Klavier smiled. He procured a ring set with a glimmering diamond and slid it on her finger. Then he stood up.

Ema opened her eyes and looked at her hand. The ring was silver, set with a diamond and filigree work on either side of it. Worked into the filigree was the same design Klavier wore on his signet ring. It wasn't huge; Ema didn't think she would have liked anything with a huge stone in it.

"Was Kay in on this?" Ema asked, looking up into the brilliant blue eyes of her fiancé. Thinking the word made a shiver run down her spine.

"I told her I was thinking about asking you, and asked her to bring it up so I could find out what kind of ring you liked. Then she came back and told me what you said." Klavier looked pleased with himself. "Do you like it? I can get something newer, if you want. This one has been in my family for a long time."

"How long?"

"I have no idea." Klavier admitted.

"No, I like it," Ema decided, looking at the ring.

Klavier smiled, and then leaned in and kissed her on the lips.

Ema put a finger to her lips as he pulled back. He was, she decided, a very good kisser. "People will talk." She warned him. Ever since the Nazi incident, the town had been more benevolent to Klavier, but this sort of thing, taking place in public in the daylight, was bound to attract attention.

Klavier shrugged. "They will do that anyway," He reminded her.

He took her hand, and they resumed their walk.

~x(-)x~

 _America_

 _The Eastern Seaboard City where Ema, Klavier, and Apollo met at college in 1941_

 _July, 1945_

"It is not that I don't appreciate the gesture, but you did not all have to come," Klavier said.

"Of course we did!" Trucy replied quickly, before anyone else could speak. "We're family! Family sticks together."

Klavier grinned at the response, and turned back to look at the ship that was having a gangplank moved into place. He had been much happier since receiving the news that Kristoph was coming to join him in America.

The day was bright and sunny, and the docks were bustling with activity. The pier was full of people waiting for loved ones returning from the war overseas.

Further away from the ship, the Wright family, Edgeworth, and Ema Skye were waiting with Klavier. The soldiers who were returning for war would disembark first.

The gangplank was finally in place, and the first soldiers began to exit the ship, to the excited cheers and cries of family waiting below.

This went on for multiple minutes, until the stream of soldiers became a trickle, and then others began to disembark form the ship; the many workers behind the scenes who had kept the war machine moving forward, medical personnel who had been relieved of their posts and sent home as the need for their services began to dwindle.

Klavier was watching the ship intently, looking at every person who got off, when Ema came up and slipped her hand into his. "He'll be there." She told him.

He grinned at her, but looked a little apprehensive as he did. "I know."

She squeezed his hand, then they both went back to watching as people disembarked.

Finally, a man in a blue suit who bore a startling resemblance to Klavier appeared at the edge of the gangplank and began to move down. He used a came to support himself and took his time descending to the pier.

"Is that…" Trucy had wanted to ask if the man who was now descending was Klavier's brother, since he looked so much like Klavier, but Klavier had already pulled free of Ema's hand and was running down the pier. He ran up the gangplank to hug the man, momentarily throwing the other man off balance before he returned Klavier's embrace.

"Yes," Edgeworth said, in answer to the question Trucy hadn't gotten to ask, "That is Klavier's brother."

The two brothers descended the gangplank together a moment later, and came down to where the others were waiting. Klavier offered his hand to Ema again, and she took it and stood next to him. Kristoph was a little taller than Klavier, though not by much, and he wore glasses. His clothes were better described as more elegant than the relaxed look Klavier seemed to favor. He was the first to speak. Unlike Klavier, Kristoph's English had only the faintest trace of a German accent. "You must be Klavier's friends. He's written a great deal about all of you. I feel like I almost know you already."

"I'm Phoenix Wright," The spiky-haired attorney was the first to speak. "These are my kids, Trucy, and Apollo Justice."

"And Klavier!" Trucy added. She looked at Kristoph. "Klavier's my other big brother now. Does this mean that you are, too?"

Kristoph looked perplexed at this, and Phoenix quickly intervened. "We'll talk about it later, Trucy," He said hastily.

"Miles Edgeworth," the maroon-clad prosecutor said. "My wife Lana wasn't able to come today."

"And this is Ema," Klavier said to Kristoph, tightening his hold on her hand.

Kristoph smiled. "A pleasure to meet you. To meet all of you," He amended, looking at the group.

They all began walking down the pier, back towards the parking lot and the road. Trucy led the way. Apollo, Phoenix and Edgeworth were loosely grouped together behind her. Klavier kept hold of Ema's hand, keeping her on one side of him and Kristoph on his other side.

A little further up the pier, an old woman in a nun's habit was walking towards them. She was hunched over and her walk was slow. Kristoph paused and gave the nun a sharp look.

Klavier came to a stop as well, and he was about to ask what Kristoph was looking at, when he thought he recognized the gleam in the woman's eye, and realized she wasn't a nun.

By now the others had stopped too. "You should be ashamed of yourself, Calisto," Kristoph said.

The woman grinned like she was mad, and then threw off the habit and stood up straight. She was wearing a blue suit with pants, not a skirt, and earrings that looked like scales. "You don't like my latest disguise?" she asked with a grin.

"It's a bit disrespectful," Kristoph said pointedly.

Calisto was still grinning. She turned to Klavier. "It's been a long time, Klavier. What's it been, four years?"

"What do you want?" Kristoph asked before Klaiver could answer. "And how did you get here before me?"

"Boats used to go so much faster when they were under threat of U-boat attack." Calisto said glibly. "And you owe me money."

Kristoph didn't look surprised by this. He pulled an unmarked envelope from the breast pocket of his suit jacket and handed it to her.

Calisto grinned. "We made a great team. Want to move to Russia and subvert the Communists next?"

"Consider me retired from that particular career," Kristoph said pointedly. "Goodbye."

Calisto grinned and walked away, past them on down the pier.

"So, who was that?" Apollo asked.

"An old business associate of mine from Munich." Kristoph replied, sounding unconcerned as he did. The group resumed their walk up the pier.

"What are your plans at the present?" Phoenix asked as they walked. "I know about the house that Klavier purchased not too long ago. Do you intend to go there first thing?"

"I will be staying in the city tonight." Kristoph replied.

"I will be staying with him," Klavier added. "That is the reason for the bag I brought with me."

"There are some things that we need to talk about." Kristoph said.

"We don't plan on it taking very long," Klavier said, as though he were apologizing for something. There were things between them that needed to be discussed, like what Kristoph had been doing in Germany during the war, and it was something he didn't want to have to worry about anyone he knew overhearing.

"Take as long as you need," Edgeworth said. He was still waiting for Franziska to decide she wanted to come back, and he expected they would have to have a long reunion when that happened, too.

" _Danke, Herr Edgeworth. I appreciate it."_

" _Speak to the man in English_ ," Kristoph informed his brother in German. " _Switching languages is not polite. Really, you've been in America for how long now?"_

" _It doesn't bother me,"_ Edgeworth replied in fluent German. _"I understood completely."_

Kristoph looked slightly taken aback at this discovery, but he recovered quickly. "I see." He said, in English this time.

Klavier grinned again, but said nothing, because the only thing he wanted to say was that he was glad the war hadn't changed Kristoph that much, but he didn't want to sound glad he was getting corrected by Kristoph again.

The breeze off the sea picked up, lightening the heat in the air, and overhead, the sun shone on.

* * *

 **[A/N:]** Uwah! The penultimate chapter! Next is the epilogue, and after that is a bonus story that counts as part of CD proper because at the time I thought of it, _Fantasia_ hadn't even been dreamt up yet.

The opening part of this chapter was designed to tie back into _Night_. I tried to keep it very vague in case people did not or had not read _Night_. But that is Colonel Hogan and Newkirk who've gone to London to argue that London needs to do what they said they'd do and bring Kristoph out of Germany. Hogan had no trouble getting back to London to check in with his superiors in the show when he needed to in spite of the fact he was supposed to be in a prison camp so I used that here as well.

I debated writing the proposal scene because I don't know how explicit the romance was or how explicit people needed to see it be. In the end I put it in. I hope it didn't seem rushed. The ring Klavier gave Ema is one of the items from the Gavin family stash of jewels that he inadvertently brought to America.

The War in Europe ended first. The official end of the war, though, didn't come until Japan surrendered. Even after the German surrender, I imagine the return home for a lot of soldiers would be slow, since there was still clean up and occupation that had to be dealt with in Europe. Soldiers were still coming home form the war in 1947, according to all the news I get from Wikipedia. Japan didn't surrender until September, so at the time the second part of this chapter happens, where Kristoph is coming to America, Phoenix would have still been waiting for news from Maya at this point.

I feel like I'm forgetting something. But I can't think of it. Chapter title comes from that song from the Disney movie Tarzan, not because I'm a huge fan of the movie but because Phil Collins is just that darn good.

I think that's it, for the moment. Please review.


	59. Epilogue

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 59: Epilogue**

 _America_

 _1947_

 _A shape that was almost like that of a whale rose on the horizon where the sky met the water._

 _The Nazi commander, Leitz, grabbed Klavier by his bound hands and shoved him towards the other soldiers. "Get him on to the boat. I'll deal with the," He paused and cast a glance at Ema and Apollo. "Witnesses."_

 _The way he said the word sent chills down her spine. Leitz pulled his gun out, the same one he'd hit Klavier with earlier, and turned to face them. "We don't need witnesses." He said, and gave a cruel smile. Behind him, the maw of the U-boat opened up and the soldiers were dragging Klavier up and into it._

 _Ema found herself looking up the barrel of a gun aimed at her face. Leitz smiled at her. "Ladies first."_

Ema jerked awake with a quiet gasp, and then remembered where she was. She was lying in bed, in her own home, safe and sound. She brushed her hair, which was loose from its usual half-ponytail, out of her face.

It's been years since that day. Why would she think about that incident with the Nazis now?

The answer came to her a moment later. They had gotten letter just yesterday announcing that Klavier was no longer considered an Enemy Alien by the United States government. This announcement had gotten plenty of flack from everyone, given that the war had been over for two years now.

The German in question was sleeping in bed next to her. He had gotten home late last night from the first tour he'd been on with his band. If this first tour had been any indication, his music career was going to take off, and he was already a successful prosecutor. Ema, meanwhile, was pursuing a college degree to help ease her entrance into the police force.

Ema slid out from under the blankets and walked across the moonlit room to the bassinet under the window. In it, baby Kristopher was sound asleep, one little fist pressed to his mouth. He had the same pale blond hair and brilliant blue eyes as his father. Ema reached down to stroke his tiny cheek. Kristopher stirred but didn't wake up.

Ema went back to bed and carefully slid under the blankets, but her actions roused Klavier enough that he sleepily asked, " _Was ist es_ , _Liebchen_?"

"Nothing." Ema told him. "Nothing. Go back to sleep."

" _In Ordung,_ " He replied.

Ema laid in bed after that, thinking about all the things that would have to be done when the day began in a few hours. Her mind was racing, and she just wanted to get some more sleep, particularly while Kristopher was willing to sleep. Finally, she reached over and tugged Klavier over onto his back.

" _Ja_?"

"Hold still," Ema said, moving closer so that she could sleep against him, with his arm under neck to support her.

When she was finally still, she heard Klavier chuckle. "Better?"

"Much." Ema said, contentedly.

 _"Gute Nacht, Leibchen."_

"Good night, Fop."

 **FINIS**

* * *

 **[A/N:]** I don't know what to say here. I might start crying. The story is officially over.

Let's jump into the actual notes before I do start crying. The idea of Klavier and Ema having a son they name Kristopher comes from Turnabout Nephew, by Turnabout Writer, which is on FFN and which I read a long time ago. I like the idea so I thought it could be official "fanon" for CD. Credit where credit is due! Plus, I could see Klavier naming his son after his brother more in this context then in the game context, though Turnabout Writer explained his reasons in their story too.

According to Wikipedia, the last German nationals labeled Enemy Aliens by the government were officially cleared...in 1948. (And remember, the war ended in 1945.) That's why this chapter takes place in 1947.

Alright. Chapter 60, the bonus one, might be a couple weeks out yet. Yes, it does go here; it was dreamed up before _Fantasia_ was so I decided it would not go in _Fantasia_. In the meantime, don't forget the other parts of the Certain Demolitions cannon:

Certain Demolitions: Play a Fantasia \- The deleted cuts, and variants on CD's premise wound up here.

Certain Demolitions: Asphyxia of the Soul \- Set within the context of CD proper, Miles Edgeworth tells Kay about how his father Gregory Edgeworth went off to fight in World War I. But in that war, Manfred von Karma was fighting on the German side...

Certain Demolitions: Night \- Crossover with Hogan's Heroes. Kristoph Gavin travels to Hammelburg, a few miles from a Prison Camp where the prisoners run anti-German war sabotage. When Kristoph discovers that rocket plans that were intended to reach the prisoners wound up in his control instead, he's soon mixed up in the latest plot to sabotage the war effort at Stalag 13. If you want to know where the bottle of perfume that Kristoph has comes from, this story explains it.

Translations:

 _Was ist es,_ _Liebchen_? - What is it, sweetheart/dear?

 _In Ordung_ \- Alright

 _Gute Nacht_ \- Good Night

Alright. I think that's everything. Please review!


	60. Bonus: Uncle and Nephew

**Certain Demolitions**

* * *

 **Chapter 60: Bonus Chapter: Uncle and Nephew**

 _America_

 _1948_

Juniper Woods looked at the small building. It was painted cream and accented with dark green trim around the windows. A swinging sign on a post near the sidewalk read "Wright Anything Agency." The second line read, "Gavin & Co Law Offices."

It looked like the place where she had been told to go, anyway. Juniper took a deep breath and started walking up the sidewalk towards the front door. She had been accused of murder, though not arrested yet, and she knew she was going to need help. A woman at the courthouse had told her that this was the best law office in town.

Outside the door, another plaque was mounted. Juniper looked at the nameplates on it.

 _Phoenix Wright, Attorney at Law_

 _Kristoph Gavin, Attorney at Law_

 _Trucy Wright, Talent Agent_

 _Apollo Justice, Attorney at Law_

She took another deep breath, then opened the door and went in.

One the other side of the door, she found herself standing in a reception area. A couch, table, and chairs were there. There was a desk to the side of the room as well, but no one was there.

"He-hello?" she called uncertainly.

A girl in a blue dress, and oddly enough, wearing a short cape, came into the room. "Hi! I'm Trucy Wright, Talent Agent. Can I help you?"

Juniper looked a bit taken aback. "I need to speak to an attorney, if I could." She said, looking down at the floor.

"Which one?"

"Um…whichever one can see me. It doesn't matter."

"Apollo is here," The young woman said. "Kristoph and Daddy are out right now."

Juniper just nodded.

"Wait here," Trucy said, then headed down the hall. Juniper took a seat on the couch in the reception area and looked around. There was a picture on the wall, and a plant in the corner. Books stood on several shelves.

Trucy reappeared, followed by a young man in red. "This is Apollo. He'll be happy to talk to you." The woman in blue said cheerfully.

"What seems to be the problem?" Apollo asked.

Juniper told him her story, of how she had been accused of a murder that she hadn't committed. Apollo listened carefully and asked questions from time to time.

At the end of her tale, he asked, "When is the pretrial hearing?"

"Um, this Thursday," Juniper said. "At one o'clock."

At that moment, the door opened and Phoenix came in. He looked at the group. "Hello." He looked at Juniper, and then Apollo. "Have you been helped?" He asked Juniper.

"I have," Juniper replied. "Mr. Justice is helping me."

Phoenix gave Apollo a curious look. The younger man said. "Murder case, pretrial on Thursday."

Phoenix nodded, then looked nervous. "I can't be co-counsel for you on Thursday. I have another trial that starts that day."

"Do…do you need a co-counsel?" Juniper asked Apollo.

"It's more of a formality," Phoenix replied. "Apollo knows what he's doing, but since this is his first murder case, someone else should be with him. It's not his first civil trial. It's not even his first criminal trial." He turned to Apollo. "We'll have to see what Kristoph's schedule looks like." Phoenix went over to the receptionist's desk, empty as always, and flipped open the calendar lying there.

"He doesn't write his court appointments down out here," Apollo said.

Phoenix paused. "Oh, that's right." He shut the book. "Let me guess: his office door is locked."

"I didn't try it, but he always locks it." Apollo said.

There was the sound of a vehicle pulling up outside, and Trucy clapped her hands together excitedly. "Since he's here we can ask Kristoph now!" She said.

Juniper was a little taken aback by the twists and the turns the conversation had taken. When the door opened behind her, she turned to see a tall, blond-haired man wearing glasses and an elegant blue suit. In his right hand he carried a briefcase and a cane. In his left arm, he held a small child who looked almost exactly like him.

The child was staring at her curiously, and Juniper couldn't help but smile. "What an adorable little boy! Is he your son?"

"My nephew," The man, Kristoph, told her. His voice had a trace of an accent to it.

"Really?" Juniper asked. "He looks so much like you."

"He looks like a Gavin," Kristoph said. "Believe me when I tell you he's his father's son."

"I thought Ema made arrangements for a sitter for Krissy." Phoenix's statement was part question.

"I am aware that Ema hired that Maggey Gumshoe woman to watch Kristopher," Kristoph said. "Largely out of pity, I suppose. But since Kristopher speaks two languages and is already learning his letters in both languages, I'm not impressed with the fact that Mrs. Gumshoe treats him as a baby. So I will watch him today."

Juniper was even more shocked by this announcement. "He's learning letters already?"

"As I said," Kristoph said, managing to adjust his glasses in spite of everything he was carrying. "He's his father's son."

Kristopher started to bounce in his Uncle's arm. " _Runter! Runter! Runter_!"

"Hi Krissy," Phoenix waved at the little boy, who stopped bouncing and turned his attention to Phoenix instead.

" _Opa! Opa_!" He said excitedly, reaching towards Phoenix.

"Do you want down, or do you want _Opa_?" Kristoph asked the little boy. How Phoenix became "Grandpa" to Kristopher is something of a mystery to Kristoph. He isn't sure how he feels about it, since Phoenix is absolutely no relation in the legal or biological sense, but he's not sure he wants to try and explain that Kristopher. He's not certain that it matters enough that he wants to try and explain it.

" _Opa_!" Kristopher repeated.

"Alright," Kristoph replied, handing the little boy over.

Phoenix, for his part, doesn't seem to mind his promotion to the role of Grandpa too much. "Are you gonna work at the office with us today, Krissy?"

" _Ja! Ja_!"

" _Speak English, please_ ," Kristoph told his nephew, then switched back to English to talk to Phoenix. "His name is Kristopher."

"Isn't that a bit of a mouthful for two year old?" Phoenix asked.

"I didn't know you were two, Phoenix." Kristoph said flatly.

"Anyway," Apollo spoke up quickly before Phoenix could respond. "Are you busy on Thursday at one pm? There's a criminal pretrial hearing I need to be at, and I need co-counsel for it."

"That should be fine." Kristoph told him. "I have a civil hearing that morning but nothing in the afternoon."

When she left the office, Juniper felt much better about where she stood. Apollo soundsed like he knew what he was doing, and Kristoph had spoken as someone with plenty of experience in the legal field.

She thought about Apollo again, and felt a blush coming on.

Maybe something good did happen to her in spite of being accused of murder. She got to meet a cute lawyer because of it.

(-)

That evening at the Wright house was quiet. Trucy was out with some of her friends from school, and Apollo was still at the office, working on the Juniper Woods case.

Phoenix and Kristoph were playing poker at the kitchen table. They aren't gambling; without Trucy or Apollo around to read Kristoph's tell, Phoenix tends to lose money quickly. He chalked this fact up to the fact that he was playing against someone who had been a spy in the war and knew how to keep a poker face.

Klavier and Krissy were there as well; Klavier had come over to consult some of the old legal digests that Phoenix had stashed in the basement

Phoenix and Kristoph were in the middle of the second game when Krissy came into the room, and started trying to climb the china hutch.

"Someone should stop Krissy," Phoenix said, though he didn't look very concerned about that.

"Wait for it," Kristoph said, shuffling through his cards.

Klavier came running into the room a moment later. " _Nein_!" He quickly retrieved Krissy before the child could hurt himself.

"That's what I was waiting for." Kristoph told Phoenix, looking pleased as he did.

Klavier came by the table a moment later with Krissy in his arms.

"Krissy is a bundle of energy tonight," Phoenix noted, then looked at his cards and sighed. "I fold." He turned the hand face up on the table.

"So I have gathered." Klavier replied. Krissy was bouncing in his arms and looking at the ground expectantly, like he wanted to be put down so he could get into more trouble. "What are you smirking about?" Klavier asked his brother.

"Nothing. It's just that I raised you, and now you get the raise the little version of you," Kristoph said as he set his cards down on the table. His hand would have trumped Phoenix's. "I'm going to be laughing for years. This is what revenge looks like, little brother."

" _Danke_ , Kristoph," Klavier said dryly.

" _Bitte_ ," Kristoph replied without missing a beat and he reached for the deck of cards and began to shuffle them.

Klavier turned to the other attorney in the room. "Phoenix, Krissy and I are going to go home. Ema should be back from her sister's soon." He glanced at Kristoph. "I won't tell her you upset her babysitting plans."

"Maggey might mention it, next time she sees Ema," Phoenix noted, as he cut the deck of card Kristoph set in front of him.

"I don't care if she does." Kristoph told them. "Kristopher is not a baby and he should not be treated like one." He looked at Klavier. "Neither Mother nor I treated you like one when you were Kristopher's age. We knew you were smarter than that."

Phoenix turned in his chair so that he could see Klavier and Krissy. "Next time either of you need someone to watch Krissy, just bring him to the office. If Kristoph can't watch him, Trucy will."

Klavier nodded. " _Danke_ , Phoenix."

Krissy was starting to chant " _runter_ " again, meaning he wanted down. Klavier lifted the child so that he was sitting on his shoulder. "I will see you both tomorrow." He said as he headed for the door.

"See you then," Phoenix called back, as Kristoph said, "See you later."

The door closed behind Klavier and his son, and Kristoph started handing out the cards for the next round of poker.

Through the open window of the dining room, the birds could be heard singing their spring songs as inside the two men settled down to their next game.

 **= END=**

* * *

 **[A/N:]** I'm not sure if I'm an Apollo/Athena shipper or an Apollo/Juniper shipper. I lean more toward Juniper, because I think Athena's manic energy tendencies would drive Apollo insane.

"Runter" is Krissy saying "down". I think all the other German was either explained elsewhere in the story, or was explained in the chapter.

And unless anyone has any questions, I think that's all the notes.

Now I'm really gonna cry. It's over! I had so much fun. So much happened that I never counted on happening in this story, and I did so much research, and it was all so crazy, but I'm really happy. I loved this story, and I loved these versions of the characters.

Special thanks to Kam I Am, who reviewed in the beginning and helped make Kristoph a major player rather than just a side character, Alycat20, who reviewed in the middle and kept me going, and huge, huge thanks for invaluable feedback to jettmanas, who reviewed all the chapters of this story, and to Red who popped up here and there to review, as well as Unicadia. Reviews make all the time and effort worth it, so many thanks for all of you and the time you spent reviewing.

And with this that, it's time to mark this story complete.

Thanks to everyone who came along for this wild ride. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Please review!


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